"UFC Primetime: Lesnar vs. Velasquez" continued Wednesday on Spike TV. This is the second in a three-part series that documents both UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar and No. 1 contender Cain Velasquez as they prepare for their championship bout at "UFC 121: Lesnar vs. Velasquez" on Oct. 23 at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.
The show opens with shots of moose and wheat. I don't think this is a segment on Velasquez. Indeed, it's to the Death Clutch gym with the champ. Lesnar, still sporting an epic beard, says his life is boring when he's in camp. He doesn't hunt, fish or anything. He goes home, enjoys his family and trains. He says he takes his job very seriously.
The narrator tells us Lesnar has barred the cameras access to his family for this special, so the only shots of Lesnar come from inside his training facility. Erik Paulson says he's never felt anyone with the strength and power of a Lesnar punch. Pat Barry says Lesnar can punch you, you can block it, but you still move three feet.
It's on to document Lesnar's bout with diverticulitis. Lesnar says he wants his fight career to end on his terms, not because he has a hole in his stomach. We see highlights from Lesnar's title defense against Shane Carwin at UFC 116 in July. Lesnar says he knew what was happening the entire time and knew he had to get out. Lesnar talks about he and Carwin smiling at each other before round two. We see Lesnar getting the takedown and finishing the fight with an arm-triangle choke. Marty Morgan says you're always curious to see how someone reacts when faced with adversity. He says Lesnar proved he can handle it. Lesnar says he's been able to overcome just about every boundary put in front of him and Velasquez is no different.
That's it for the first segment. The rest of the recap can be read after the jump.
After commercials, we go from dreary Minnesota to sunny San Jose, Calif., where Velasquez is training with his family present. Javier Mendez says that for Velasquez, family is first, training is second. Velasquez says "brown pride" is no different than "Mexican pride" and the reason he got the tattoo is because he's proud to be Mexican.
We see Velasquez going to volunteer at a Mexican-American facility, speaking to youth. The people he spoke to say it's great to see him.
Back at American Kickboxing Academy, the narrator says the AKA crew is trying to combine size with stamina for Velasquez. Bob Cook says the man with the shape is the man with the skills in the later rounds. Mendez says it's not cliché, Velasquez is in the best shape of his life.
It's back to animals, corn and lakes in Minnesota where Lesnar's camp takes advantage of some warm weather with an outdoor cardio session. Lesnar compares training to the movie "Groundhog Day" because of its repetitive nature. "It's another day in paradise," he says.
Morgan says at this point, Lesnar is like a caged lion and you have to get him outside to get some air because he is so intense. We see a comedic shot of Lesnar running in the background with kids playing on a merry-go-round in the foreground. Barry debates Velasquez's conditioning against Lesnar's. He says in a race, yeah, Velasquez might win. But in a real fight, it all changes.
Morgan points out that Lesnar went three rounds with Heath Herring no problem two years ago and he's a completely different fighter now. Barry says Lesnar is running on all cylinders right now.
Back to California where it's time to humanize Velasquez with a segment featuring his family. They talk about how he spends time with his 17-month old daughter. Velasquez says the want to provide for his family is motivation.
Back at AKA, Mendez says they aren't here for hype, they are here to create the best fighter period. We see Velasquez working with weights against shots of Lesnar sparring with Paulson. Now shots of each of them sparring. We see Velasquez work over a sparring partner. He says come watch Oct. 23 and see what he can do.
And that's a wrap for another edition of the show.
Loading comments...