Cain Velasquez will always be known as one of the most impressive heavyweights ever stepped into the Octagon.
As a former double UFC champion heavyweight, Velasquez has characteristic victories over people like Brock Lesnar that he has achieved at UFC 121.
He also had iconic rivalry with Velasquez's Bounce returns on Junior Dos Santos who showed how ruthless and punishing he could be.
For all the impressive versions he did during his career, the stories about the gym around the Cardio King are the stuff of the legend.
The former coach of Velasquez recently told the story about how even a highly regarded former UFC champion would refuse to train with him because of how difficult it was.
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Luke Rockhold 'Hurdled' The Cage after sparing Cain Velasquez for one round says Javier Mendez
One of the many great training partners who collaborated Cain Velasquez at AKA was the former UFC Middleweight Champion, Luke Rockhold.
Rockhold was a staple from the gym as another student under Javier Mendez, next to Daniel Cormier and Khabib Nurmagomedov, who reached the top of the sport.
In a recent performance at Tim Welch's Red Hawk Recap Podcast, Mendez stated that the American was able to spar with larger partners such as Cormier because he was so competent, but Velasquez was a completely different beast.
“He was the only one I had submitted with the heavyweights because he could really do decent against them, except Cain. Cain he could handle one round. After that, not too much.”
The former title holder of 185 pounds has recognized this in the past with Rockhold stating that Sparring Velasquez was 'not fun'.
Mendez thought about one of his favorite memories of the day where Rockhold made it completely clear that he had enough to go with the former double UFC Heavyweight Champion.
“I remember once, Bob Cook put Luke in there with Cain and Luke is doing well, because he's good. He is really doing well, but he gets super tired because of the pressure that Caïn pulls him. Before the second round could even start, Luke jumps straight out of the cage.
“He is like,” Fuck you, I'm not going with this guy. ” He jumps straight out of the cage.
Javier Mendez accepts part of the debt for Cain Velasquez who does not realize his true potential
Javier Mendez acknowledges that although Cain Velasquez has won the UFC heavyweight title twice, his career did not reflect how good he really was.
The 42-year-old fought many injuries during his career with many who believed that he was pushing himself too hard in the gym instead of saving it for the Octagon.
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During the appearance of the podcast, Mendez stated that he is taking part of the fault of Velazquez's career deficiencies, together with various other parties.
“I say it would be possible, because he should be considered the greatest heavyweight of all time for damn and certainly a goat, especially as a goat, but too many things that were partly my fault happened, partly the fault of other people, partly his fault. Everyone had a part to give him what he should be.”