How did Cain Velasquez get signed by the UFC after only two pro fights?

Cain Velasquez said that after a first-round stoppage in Strikeforce in San Jose and another in Russia, opponents kept backing out, so he could not get a third fight. His manager Bob Cook pushed the UFC to look at him, and Dana White agreed to watch him spar two heavyweights at the Ultimate Fighter gym in Las Vegas. Velasquez said White signed him on the spot after the session.

Velasquez said he trained five to six hours a day, six days a week, and bounced at a bar three or four nights for gas money.
Velasquez said he sometimes slept in his car near the gym instead of driving an hour home to his parents.

▸In their words

“And afterwards he said, well, why isn't he in UFC yet? So he signed me on the spot.” Cain Velasquez · at 1:19:08 — open in the transcript →

Source: our own transcription of the episode. The full conversation is on The Shawn Ryan Show (2026-10-29). Read the whole episode summary →

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