Why did the UFC sign Cain Velasquez ?

[CroCopsLHK]

He was the GD boogeyman. Everyone was scared of fighting him. He was at the time the most promising and well rounded heavyweight prospect and he had a hell of a reputation at AKA.

Apparently nobody would fight him until he got signed to UFC

 

[X Factor]

His record was 2-0 against a couple of unknown guys and the UFC took him in.
I'm glad they did because 2006-2013 Cain was one of the greatest HWs to ever fight. Just curious if anyone knows what the UFC saw in Cain after only two fights ?

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He couldn’t get regional fights because no one wanted to fight him. He even had to fly to Russia his second fight and so the AKA head coach called in a favor to the ufc just to get him fights. He really was one of the most fearsome prospects to come up the ranks.

 

[Pierced7681]

He couldn’t get regional fights because no one wanted to fight him. He even had to fly to Russia his second fight and so the AKA head coach called in a favor to the ufc just to get him fights. He really was one of the most fearsome prospects to come up the ranks.

yup this exactly. No one wanted to fight him on the regional scene, it was ufc or nothing basically.

 

[Azzy]

I imagine the UFC have trusted people linked to gyms all over the world that would act like scouts in other sports. If one of the sources gives a name then they can sign them on the cheap and will unearth a gem every now and then for a low cost.

 

[Smegma-Head]

Because the UFC will do what their told....

 

[Quietus]

MMA records mean very little, a high level wrestling pedigree is >>> beating some jobbers on the regional scene.

 

[SG123]

2008 UFC was not dead. If anything, 2006-2012 UFC was the most talent heavy, star powered UFC there ever was.

Strange claim, Mcgregor has sold more PPVs on his own than that entire era combined. Diaz & Masvidal are also bigger than anyone from that era as far as I recall, not certain though

 

[Mind Mine]

Knocking people out in the first round in Strikeforce may seem like some low level shit to people who weren’t in that era. People don’t understand the gap between UFC and Strikeforce quality and talent was pretty thin and NOTHING like UFC vs anybody today

 

[daniel san]

HW was far better back then than what it has been for the last couple of years, but HW was still very weak relative to the other weight classes. That in combination with three TKO wins and coming from a good gym probably made it an easy sell for whoever pitched that they should sign Cain.

 

[Taric]

He murdered a guy in a legitimate organization for his very first fight, and was a member of a prominent gym in AKA who had two top contenders at the time.

Seems fairly obvious.

Cain was probably slaughtering everyone in AKA at the time and stuff like that gets brought up in conversations.

 

[orca]

maybe they heard potential?
people in the gym always gossip
maybe there are stories about him being really good and it spread up quickly

 

[Tweak896]

More to fighters than records. Not sure why people here don't consider credentials good enough. Also they have connections with teammates who probably vouch Cain destroys everyone in the gym. It's how matchmaking should be.

Why should guys like Islam have to win 10 fights in a row when even vegas odds makers know their skills? One of the worst aspects of modern mma. They can't be dominant in 2 fights and get a title shot like they used to, yet get compared to old guys that did.

 

[Karelinator]

I mean, two times All American wrestler, who buzzsawed trough his opponents, showing pace more commonly seen at WW.

Why, not really? That's what scouting is for.

 

[Sweater of AV]

The UFC fumbled the bag when they signed Cain. He did ok in the UFC though.