BJJ in My Eyes – The Cain Velasquez Attitude vs. The Brock Lesnar Effect

Click here for full article with video and pictures: William Vandry BJJ in My Eyes – November 2010 – The Cain Velasquez Attitude vs. The Brock Lesnar Effect

 

What an incredible performance  by Cain Velasquez over Brock Lesnar.  The  absolute dominance, and destruction of Lesnar proved Velasquez is not simply a  fighter or competitor, but a thinking man’s fighter.  When I viewed the fight, Velasquez, who is a  purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, did a very smart strategy against  Lesnar.  He showed not just his striking,  but his Jiu-jitsu tempered Lesnar, and shut down his attacks.  Velasquez stated that he trained specifically  all positions, and his excellent wrist control of Lesnar when he was in the  guard position to shrimp out and go back to his feet was not radical, panic,  desperation, it was a good strategy.  He  did his homework.  He reviewed his  opponent.  He did an excellent job of  being a working man’s fighter.  Lesnar on  the other hand did precisely what I thought he would do.  I told one of my Black belts Cain was going  to win this fight, and studying both fighters, I explained in my opinion why.

 

Usually if I review  fights, I need to know a lot about both fighters.  I need to see their past fights, good points  and bad.  When Lesnar fought Shane  Carwin, I stated Carwin should win, BUT I was always worried that he had not  gone past round one.  Carwin’s victory  over Frank Mir actually made me think of his very powerful punching.  What I mean by this is not the amount of  punching; I noticed that he was home running every shot.  This drains a fighter.  If a fighter does not finish an opponent,  usually they will tire out, ala the Carwin vs. Lesnar fight.  Carwin himself has a purple belt in Brazilian  Jiu-jitsu, and probably is better technically than what we saw when Lesnar got  the pillow choke.

 

“Fatigue makes cowards of  us all!”
-Vince Lombardi

 

Carwin stated in an  interview that he had no legs and was cramping.   This is very difficult for any athlete.   I remember a tournament years ago I competed in when my opponent and I  went at 100 mph and after two minutes neither one of us could move very  much.  I was a purple belt at that time  and it definitely taught me a lot about pace, conditioning and grip  control.  It’s amazing when you can’t  even move your fingers.

 

Many times in class I do  quicker rounds or longer rounds.  It  usually depends whether or not I am conditioning students for a tournament or  just daily training. I note that Cain stated a very important point about his  preparation for all positions and angles specifically for Brock Lesnar’s  game.  This fantastic strategy is what determines  a fighter over the long run.

 

One of my purple belts a  month back competed in a tournament in Dallas.   His training at best was not consistent due to work and he wanted to  jump in at the last minute.  Those are  not the best things to do, but competition is enticing and challenging, and  it’s always good to test yourself.  I did  a specific drill with him training round after round with higher ranks.  He started gassing and I had to change his  strategy to defend better and to survive lack of conditioning with a better  pace and defense.  The strategy worked,  as he took second in the tournament.

 

This type of attitude is  how you develop into a better athlete, competitor and most important of all,  understanding yourself internally better.   Everyone knows their quitting point, but delaying exhaustion, tiredness  or bad positions can lengthen your battle for a longer period.

 

Velasquez knew Lesnar was  going straight for the takedown, and I had a strong feeling he would too.  Lesnar did pretty much what I expected him to  do.  He has size, mass and power.  He has a wrestling background, and like  Velasquez, he too was a Division 1 wrestler and very successful.  His strategy was to take Cain down and do  what he did to Shane Carwin.  Carwin was  prepared to go blow for blow, wrestling and even some wind, but he was not  prepared to end up on bottom.

 

When I train at my  academy, I work with my purple, brown and black belts specifically on bad  positions.  I have done this my entire  career, and it started when I was a white belt.   I saw UFC 3 when Royce fought Kimo.   Royce had an injury, it was hot and I heard that he took a cold shower  (just rumor, not for sure), which may have given him the shock that eliminated  him from the finals.

 

I really paid attention to  the back mount Kimo got for a second when holding the fence.  When I was a white belt, I tried to practice  not getting choked, so I would let other white belts get my back, hooks in and  all.  This helped me analyze the defense,  and till today I still work on these defenses.   I don’t mind being in bad positions because you have to develop your  defense.  You have to work on bad  positions.

 

Cain was prepared for any  position.  I felt he did a good strategy  using his Jiu-jitsu.  One advantage he  took was one Shane Carwin did not.  He  did not try to simply swing until he got tired, he paced.  When Lesnar went down Cain very intelligently  applied the knee on stomach.  Had Carwin  done this it may have helped his finish as well.  Velasquez also did not swing when Lesnar got  his legs up.  He raised his arm, and then  stepped around to land the punch, not simply swing from a distance.  The knee on stomach was one of the pivotal  moves on the ground against Lesnar.  Even  though the strikes ended it, the basic side control and knee along with passing  the guard were good fundamental Jiu-jitsu Cain kept in his holster.

 

Great attitude.  Great performance.  These humble developments practicing not  simply your strongest points, but your weaker ones too are what develop a great  attitude like Velasquez has.  Doesn’t run  his mouth, doesn’t act arrogantly, he just performs and speaks humbly.

 

The Lesnar effect

 

Let’s review Lesnar.  A world-class wrestler that has physical  gifts.  Striking is not his strong point,  although a strong punch could be.  He is  capable of punching hard.  I think Lesnar  has good athletic ability and his wrestling is his strong suit.  He has trained ground and works on a  fundamental wrestling/MMA strategy.   Takedown, pin, squeeze or hammer fist to pummel.  That worked very well for Mark Coleman and  Mark Kerr a while back.  Look at what  happened.  When Coleman gassed he was in  trouble.  Same with Kerr.  And its not as if these athletes did not have  energy, they simply had a pace that cost them in some of their matches.  Coleman was the best fighter on earth at one  point, UFC champion and Pride champion.   Kerr too.  However, once you are  over 225lbs., pace is one thing but when you are 275 and up such as Lesnar, it  usually will not last five rounds.

 

So where does the Lesnar  effect come in vs. Velasquez attitude?

 

Lesnar had a pro career  with the WWF now WWE.  He was a  star and promoted by a man who I think promotes better than any other promoter  in the world, Vince McMahon.  McMahon is  a pro wrestling promoter, and has a successful pro wrestling TV show.  McMahon also has tried promoting other  sports, such as the one-year now defunct XFL football league, which was to  compete with the NFL, and the WBF, which was a bodybuilding organization he  started by contracting many of Joe Weider’s Mr. Olympia candidates.  That too defused after one event.  You would think he would try MMA promo, but perhaps the money still isn’t there.  No million dollar contracts yet.

 

Ok, back to Brock Lesnar.

 

On ESPN’s website, Cain  was interviewed and kept making points about staying calm and following the  game plan.

 

Cain mentioned Junior Dos  Santos and his talent, and even stated he was the best striker in the  heavyweight division.  This type of  humility and giving credence to other fighters is what makes him what he is, a  class act.

 

Lesnar polished his already  strong game.  However, like so many  athletes such as Coleman and Kerr, when the homerun doesn’t happen, there is no  back up plan.  Lesnar was rocked and when  he fell he definitely was unable to gain his stability.  Almost happened with Carwin, twice is  difficult to overcome.

 

When Lesnar lost he made a  statement that Cain was the best man that night.  His choice of words has never been  great.  I think when you lose, lose  gracefully.  No one ever likes to  lose.  I lost a 0-0 match once where I  almost got a knee bar, I almost got a clock choke and a sweep, while my  opponent did not advance, nor did he score one point against me or try any  aggression.  I pulled to my guard almost  20 times that match and my opponent kept backing out.  I knew at 0-0 it can be anyone, and my  opponent was very polite and respectful afterward.  I told him, hey no worries, next time  maybe.  Despite my dominating the action,  there is still no excuse.  This was my  standard to myself.  You always tell  yourself you should have finished the opponent or done better or prepped  better, and then you go back to the books.   Brock could have really capitalized this, and despite what host Joe  Rogan stated, Brock could have gained even more fans with a bowing of the head,  good luck and I will be back speech.   When he beat Couture, his poor words set back a public perception of all  of us, and especially in the MMA.

 

It’s going to be difficult  to get Mom, Dad and the kids to watch these types of personalities with  athletes, and this is one reason we aren’t competing with the national  championship or the Super bowl.

 

In his preflight  interview, these comments were made:

 

“I don’t think Cain  Velasquez hits as hard as Shane Carwin.”

 

“We’ll find out who the  true champion is and its not Cain Velasquez.”

 

“Mr. Velasquez, you are  not better than Brock Lesnar and you will find out come fight night.”

 

Losing anything is  difficult.  When I was a child, I  remember a classy pro boxer named Alexis Arguello.  Alexis was one of the greatest boxers of all  time.  He lost to a very talented fighter  Aaron Pryor.  In their rematch, Alexis  was stopped, and when knocked down, he didn’t get up.  He could have, but it was not a quitting,  gutless giving up.  It was a respectful  bowing out to a superior fighter.  Alexis  was always a class act, bless his soul.

 

When Couture lost to  Lesnar, he didn’t make excuses, he didn’t run his mouth.  Randy is right there with the great Alexis  Arguello.  He showed grace, tact, respect  and most of all, understood his fans were viewing him the whole time and had to  watch how he spoke in public.

 

When Lesnar made comments  against Frank Mir in their rematch, he received a chorus of boos.  You have to start with a humble  approach.  You need to always speak in  public as if children were always listening to you.  You don’t badmouth anyone publicly.  In my career, I have never made a public post  badmouthing people, its not professional and it rejects the philosophy of the  martial arts.  You can do your talking in  the ring or on the mat, but never derogatory statements.

 

Lesnar can adjust to  this.  He had a great chance when  discussing his medical condition before his Shane Carwin fight.  To overcome a serious medical condition and  to win a championship fight was a great springboard for him.  He has his own manager and he is his own  man.  He will do whatever he does.  I think fighters need to look at the old  days, such as the days of Marciano and Jersey Joe Walcott.  They always spoke with respect and honor  among themselves and always publicly.   And they were all loved and admired alike no matter who won or  lost.

 

This effect on community  is what stands best.  Rickson Gracie was  one of the greatest fighters of all time, and was ahead of everyone in his  prime.  When the Mark Kerr and other  wrestlers came in, there were different styles of grappling coming to  play.  Rickson always spoke  philosophically, and admirably.  I always  listened to every word he said.  He spoke  of the bushido or warrior code when he fought, and his spiritual  philosophy.  I enjoyed that and would  like to see more of that.

 

I have a student that  resides in Chicago, Illinois.  He is a  brown belt under me, and has been doing very well in MMA.  I told him a little at a time,  don’t rush your career and always keep your humility.  He speaks well, and is a class act and never  runs his mouth.  He will be a well-known  fighter and may even fight in Strikeforce or the UFC one day.

 

To be a complete fighter  all angles must be trained.

 

I remember years ago when  my instructor, Master Carlos Machado made a comeback fight against one of  Rickson Gracies’ black belts.  When we  talked about it, he joked and said: “Did you think I might have lost?”

 

I told him: “Not at  all.  I know your capabilities, your  attitude and your champion heart.”

 

I did know he was going to  win, and I did know he was going to win the Masters world in 2000, both weight  and open class.  My instructor Master  Machado gives you the perfect philosophy and attitude.

 

Brock can change.  He is still in his prime, and has a great  opportunity to review his style and come back.   I think he has a lot of weapons.   I think what many posted online about him simply being big or strong is  not the truth.  Lesnar is also a  world-class wrestler and an athlete.  He  can come back, and he will look at what happened this fight.  I think the strategy was not bad against  Cain, as a top game may have been good, but Cain was prepared for that.  Lesnar may have been prompted by promoters to  be the bad guy, sometimes they like that to stir up the crowds.  However, look at a more humble approach, and  you will be loved twice as much.  Good  luck to Brock, hopefully he will heal and still be in the game, but special  congratulations to UFC champion Cain Velasquez for his humility, his grace, his  gentleman nature and his class that should be exuded by a champion.

 

Absorb, and think.

Professor William Vandry, (3rd degree Black  belt BJJ)

Vandry BJJ Academy: Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), Muay Thai Boxing & Judo – Austin, Texas

 

 

About the Author

William Vandry has trained in BJJ with members of the Gracie family and more immediate, the Machado brothers, nephews of Carlos Gracie, the actual founder of the Gracie Jiu-jitsu system.   Carlos Gracie was married to the Machado brothers Aunt Lair, sister of their mother.

Vandry’s chief instructor in BJJ is Master Carlos Machado, and was the first and longest running Texas Machado representative in BJJ since 1996.

Vandry was one of the first four students promoted to Black belt in Texas. Vandry is also the only Black belt in Southwest and central Texas area under legendary 8th degree Black belt and multiple World champion Master Carlos Machado, who is the pioneer or Grandfather of BJJ in Texas.

Vandry has competed on a world level with the best in BJJ, is an author of a book Leg locks: the great equalizer! (See book order on homepage), was contacted by Century Martial arts (the world’s largest Martial arts supply company) to film his BJJ series on DVD, and has taught BJJ for 14 years.  Vandry was also featured on ME television for a documentary on the everyday life of BJJ, and also is co producing a documentary which will be released in the fall of 2010.

On a more local level, Professor Vandry teaches classes and private lessons to his students and out of towners at his academy in Austin Texas.

One of the busiest BJJ instructors in Texas, Vandry also teaches seminars for other martial arts schools, community organizations and law enforcement officers.

Vandry has coached many of his students to gold, silver and bronze medals, and has also competed in World championships at each belt level in BJJ (Blue, Purple, Brown and Black).

Vandry’s primary philosophy to aid training in BJJ is humility. “Ego is not for BJJ. Humility, camaraderie and being an honorable student to help fellow students will help groom you as a future instructor.”

Vandry has a successful children’s class in which children or young adults learn the fundamentals of BJJ as well as bonding with each other to understand team support, humility, confidence and respect to develop into their adult ages.

If you are interested in training, developing your personal philosophy, strategy and development of a BJJ scientist with Professor William Vandry or have a child interested, or just seek information, stop by the academy for a few minutes or call 512-585-1289. www.austinbjj.com