Quick answer: On the Shawn Ryan Show, former two-time UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez said he got into the UFC after a single sparring session in Las Vegas. By his account, his coach Bob told Dana White to "just watch him train," Velasquez sparred rounds against two UFC heavyweights, and afterward White asked, "Well, why isn't he in the UFC yet?" Velasquez said, "he signed me on the spot." Interviews from 2008 and 2010 tell the same basic story: White signed him after a gym workout, before ever seeing him in a real fight.
Source episode: "Cain Velasquez - UFC Champion Hunted the Man Accused of Abusing His 4-Year-Old Son," Shawn Ryan Show #352, watch the full episode.
What Velasquez said on the Shawn Ryan Show
Velasquez describes "talks back and forth with the UFC" before White agreed to "set up a training session in Vegas." According to Velasquez, his coach Bob told White, "look, just just watch him train. That's all you got to do. Just watch."
The session took place at the Ultimate Fighter gym in Las Vegas. Velasquez named his sparring partners as Mike Kyle and, he thought, Christian Wellisch, both fighting in the UFC at the time. "We had a full-on sparring session, me against those two guys," he said, describing himself "going rounds with those two guys" while White watched. Afterward, Velasquez said, White asked "why isn't he in the UFC yet?" and "signed me on the spot."
This is Velasquez's own memory of events from nearly 20 years ago. The details below come from contemporary reporting.
What the record shows
Velasquez was a two-time All-American wrestler at Arizona State. He moved to San Jose in August 2006 to train at American Kickboxing Academy (AKA), and he won his first two pro fights, in Strikeforce and BodogFIGHT, by TKO that same year (MMAjunkie, July 2008).
After that he couldn't get booked. "We had about six or seven fights that didn't happen that we were getting ready for," he told MMAjunkie in 2008. AKA's Bob Cook then used his connections to take him straight to White. "Me and 'Crazy' Bob went to Vegas and took a couple of other guys and trained in front of Dana White," Velasquez said then. MMAjunkie reported that the grappling-and-sparring "audition" in late 2007 at the UFC training center, with Christian Wellisch and Mike Kyle, impressed White enough to sign him to a four-bout contract.
MMA Fighting later reported that White "signed Velasquez without ever seeing him fight," on "the word of the AKA camp and after watching a quick workout session" (MMA Fighting, Oct. 2010). In another interview, Velasquez said White watched him "standing with those two fighters and doing Jiu-Jitsu with another two heavyweight athletes" (MixedMartialArts.com).
Small differences between versions: The 2008 account was given closer to the event. It describes grappling as well as sparring and names Wellisch and Kyle. In the new interview, Velasquez wasn't sure about Wellisch ("I think"). Every version agrees that White signed him after one workout.
From audition to champion
Velasquez made his UFC debut at UFC 83 in Montreal on April 19, 2008, stopping Brad Morris by first-round TKO (UFC.com). He knocked out Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 110 and beat Brock Lesnar at UFC 121 in October 2010 to win the heavyweight title. He lost the belt to Junior dos Santos in 2011 and won it back in their rematch at UFC 155 in December 2012 (UFC.com).
Legal case (public record)
In February 2022, Velasquez was arrested after chasing a pickup truck in Santa Clara County, California, and firing shots at it. The truck carried Harry Goularte, a man charged with molesting Velasquez's young son. Paul Bender, Goularte's stepfather, was hit and injured. In August 2024, Velasquez pleaded no contest to attempted murder, assault and firearms charges. In March 2025, he was sentenced to five years in prison, with credit for 1,283 days already served (AP News; ESPN; BBC Sport). The UFC signing story in this article is unrelated to the case.
Real-name note: Cain Velasquez competes under his real name. He was born in Salinas, California (UFC.com). Auto-captions spell sparring partner Christian Wellisch's name in different ways; the spelling here follows MMAjunkie.
FAQ
How did Cain Velasquez get signed by the UFC? After two pro wins and a year without fights, his AKA coach Bob Cook arranged a workout in front of Dana White in Las Vegas in late 2007. White then signed him to a four-bout contract, according to MMAjunkie.
Did Dana White see Cain Velasquez fight before signing him? No. MMA Fighting reported in 2010 that White signed him after a quick workout session, without having seen him fight.
Who did Cain Velasquez spar in his UFC audition? Christian Wellisch and Mike Kyle, according to MMAjunkie's 2008 report and Velasquez's Shawn Ryan Show account.
When was Cain Velasquez's UFC debut? April 19, 2008, at UFC 83 in Montreal, where he beat Brad Morris by first-round TKO.
What was Cain Velasquez sentenced to? In March 2025, he was sentenced to five years in prison for the 2022 shooting, with credit for 1,283 days served, according to AP, ESPN and BBC Sport.