"UFC Primetime: Lesnar vs. Velasquez" debuted Wednesday on Spike TV. This is the first 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.
We're taken to San Jose, Calif., home of American Kickboxing Academy, Velasquez's gym. Dave Camarillo tells us Velasquez hates losing and might have the best gas tank in the UFC. Javier Mendez says Velasquez has more gifts than any fighter he's ever trained. They talk about how Velasquez runs through training partners with Bob Cook quipping that they tell Velasquez to "not break your toys."
We get our first words from Velasquez. He says he isn't worried about Lesnar, but he is cautious. Cook says we're going to see Lesnar get exposed for the first time.
From there, the scene shifts from sunny San Jose to dreary Alexandria, Minn., Lesnar's home. Lesnar has grown quite the mountain-man beard. This is a great beard. Lesnar says they have 8-10 weeks to mold a piece of clay, being him. He says he wants to surround himself with good people. "If you want to fly with the eagles, you can't hang out with the crows," he says.
Lesnar cites Marty Morgan as his "puppet master." Morgan says he oversees everything and he has a good schedule for fights to peak on time. Lesnar says he has the best training partners in the world, people who he believes would go to war for him. Lesnar says he trains to his weaknesses, not his strengths.
That's the first segment. The rest of the recap can be read after the jump.
It's back to San Jose where Velasquez is rolling down the street in his huge truck. It's time to talk about Velasquez's heritage. In case you haven't heard, he's Mexican. He's also fighting to become the first Mexican heavyweight champion, which you might not have heard, as well.
Cook says Velasquez is coming from a "day-labor background," and it's unprecedented for someone from that background to become heavyweight champion.
Now we go an hour south to the work site of Efrain Velasquez, Cain's father. Efrain says he wanted more opportunity for his family. He came to the U.S. in 1975 where he loaded lettuce. Efrain says he didn't want his family going through the same hardships he did. He says he always saw something in Cain that he didn't see in other kids. "He had something," Efrain said.
Now it's Cain who's fighting for his family.
After a break, it's back to Alexandria. They talk about his upbringing in South Dakota where he worked the farm. Lesnar's high school wrestling coach John Schiley talks about Lesnar working during his childhood. Schiley's wife talks about that when Lesnar was over for dinner, she made one roast for him and another for everyone else. They go over Lesnar's days in amateur wrestling and talk about Lesnar's work ethic — an attribute Lesnar says got him to where he is today because he is "one stubborn son of a bitch."
After break, it's off to Miami with Velasquez where he is on a Spanish-speaking media blitz. Velasquez says it's important for him to participate in Latin media. We see him doing a radio interview and then a Univision talk show. It's back to San Jose and Mendez says they have to look at ways to "chop that mountain down." Camarillo says Velasquez has more weapons than Lesnar does.
Lesnar says there's always the risk of danger in this sport. We see Lesnar working out, working with weights. He says there's one guarantee when that Octagon door shuts: One man's going to win, one man's going to lose.
And that'll do it.
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