Sherdog’s Top 10Sherdog’s Top 10: Silent Killers
No. 2
2. Cain Velasquez
The epitome of the strong, silent type in MMA, Velasquez is a two-time UFC heavyweight champion. Naturally powerful and aggressive, the American Kickboxing Academy ace pushes a relentless pace and has broken the will of more than one opponent with his crushing work rate. Junior dos Santos (twice), Ben Rothwell, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Brock Lesnar are among his victims.
Velasquez is a man of few words. Only injuries have been able to keep him down for long. The 33-year-old Salinas, Calif., native returned from nearly a two-year layoff at UFC 188 in June, when he surrendered his heavyweight title in a third-round submission loss to Fabricio Werdum in Mexico City. The UFC has long viewed Velasquez as a bridge to the Mexican market, but it remains unclear if health will allow him to compete often enough to serve in that capacity. There is one certainty, however: The organization will have to bank on what Velasquez does inside the Octagon, not what he says outside of it.
Number 1 » Stoic Assassin
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