The two-time Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight titleholder broke into the MMA business with Strikeforce on Oct. 7, 2006, arrived in the UFC a little more than a year later and won 13 of his 14 professional bouts—he twice avenged his only defeat—before injuries derailed his career. Velasquez’s future remains muddied. Now 39 years of age, he has not competed since he was steamrolled by Francis Ngannou just 26 seconds into their UFC on ESPN 1 main event in February 2019. Velasquez had three fights remaining on his contract when he announced his retirement to focus on a career in professional wrestling. That, too, appears to have fizzled out.
As Velasquez ponders his next move, a look at some of the rivalries that helped shape his remarkable career in mixed martial arts:
Brock Lesnar
The undefeated Velasquez tore through the former World Wrestling Entertainment superstar in a career-defining performance, as he captured the undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight crown in the UFC 121 main event on Oct. 23, 2010 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. The end came 4:12 into Round 1, as Velasquez reached the sport’s mountaintop just nine fights into his professional career. The American Kickboxing Academy ace weathered Lesnar’s initial assault, maintained his composure and picked his spots with power and purpose. Velasquez conceded two takedowns in the first two minutes but answered the challenge seamlessly on both occasions. He completed his own takedown 2:48 into the first period, took a dominant position behind the champion and pummeled him with punches and hammerfists. From there, it was all downhill for Lesnar. He twice returned to his feet, only to be met with more punches from the relentless Velasquez. A two-punch combination dropped the champion near the cage. Lesnar fought valiantly to defend himself but ate too many punches, forcing referee Herb Dean to step in on his behalf. He rose to a standing position beaten, battered and bloodied.
Junior dos Santos
A single clubbing right hand from dos Santos shifted the balance of heavyweight power from San Jose, California, to Salvador, Brazil. The Brazilian cracked Velasquez with a brutal overhand right behind the ear, followed him to the canvas, finished him with a slew of punches on the ground and laid claim to the heavyweight crown in devastating fashion in the UFC on Fox 1 headliner on Nov. 12, 2011 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. It was over in 64 seconds. Velasquez, who had undergone surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff the January prior, seemed content to keep the fight standing against the superior boxer, as he tagged dos Santos’ lead leg with kicks and exchanged when the distance between the two closed. An overhand right countered a left jab from Velasquez, put the champion on all fours and forced him to retreat to his back. He found no refuge there. Dos Santos closed with patience and precision, unleashing first with lefts and then ending it with thudding rights to the unguarded head of his fallen counterpart. However, subsequent rematches turned into horror shows for “Cigano,” as Velasquez exacted his revenge with extended beatings at UFC 155 and UFC 166. In those two encounters, he completed 15 takedowns and outlanded dos Santos by a staggering 484-128 margin.
Antonio Silva
Velasquez put a savage beating on “Bigfoot” and finished the monstrous Brazilian with cold, calculated ground-and-pound in the first round of their UFC 146 co-feature on May 26, 2012 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Silva succumbed to blows 3:36 into Round 1, and by the time it was over, much of the center of the Octagon was painted with his DNA. Velasquez sliced open the former EliteXC champion’s face with a series of short elbows, transforming the cage into a gory playground. The two-time NCAA All-American wrestler grounded Silva in a blink and unsheathed his ferocious top game. Soon, blood spatter was everywhere. An examination by the cageside physician—a visit from a crime scene investigator might have been more apropos—gave Silva a brief reprieve but only prolonged the inevitable. Once the fight resumed, Velasquez continued to drop punches with violent precision. Silva could not have envisioned a ruder welcome to the UFC. They met again a year later at UFC 160, where Velasquez needed all of 81 seconds to once again prove himself superior.
Fabricio Werdum
The two-time Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World Championships gold medalist submitted Velasquez with a third-round guillotine choke to claim the undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight title in the UFC 188 main event on June 13, 2015 at Mexico City Arena in Mexico City. In his first appearance in nearly two years, the oft-injured Velasquez tapped 2:13 into Round 3. What started well enough quickly unraveled for the American Kickboxing Academy star. Werdum withstood his clinches, punches and takedowns throughout the first round and went to work on chopping down the two-time NCAA All-American wrestler in the second. “Vai Cavalo” battered Velasquez with clean, accurate punching combinations, a punishing jab and the occasional knee strike from the clinch. By the start of Round 3, Velasquez was a spent force; he was bleeding from cuts above both eyes and breathing heavily. The Salinas, California, native wandered into Werdum’s lethal clutches during a desperate takedown attempt, and with the guillotine in place, he had no choice but to call it a night. Velasquez’s second reign atop the UFC’s heavyweight division lasted 896 days.