Could Cain be making the transition?
This past Tuesday WWE announced the newest class of recruits who have been sworn in asĀ WWE superstašÆrs and will be working under the NXT brand and training at the Performance Center in Orlando. On that lšÆist was former PWG World Champion Keith Lee, Io Shirai, Deonna Purrazzo and other notable namesą¶£.Ā
Today the Performance Center saw a new face and that was the face ofĀ former two-time UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez. The 14-2-0 fighter had ź¦«his last boutĀ two summer's ago in 2016 at UFą¼ŗC 200 where he defeated Travis Broź¦°wne via TKš²O. Last night at the NXT TV tapings at Full Sail, Cain Velasquez was in attendanceĀ and he was filmed by the cameras during the NXT TV broadcast.
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Today, WWE sent out the following notification and published anĀ article onĀ their website which read that Cain Velasquez didĀ trainĀ at the WWE Performance CenterĀ and learned under former CMLLĀ World Heavyweight Champion Norman Smiley and Cain also partook in a DDP Yoga session hosted by the don of the workout program himseź§lf, Diamond Dallas Page.
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In 2010 Cain defeated Brock Lesnar at UFC 121 to become UFC Heavyweight Champion and after dropping the title to Junior dos Santos, Cain become UFC Heavyweight Champ for aĀ second time byĀ defeating dos Santos. While speaking with Wš„WE following his experienceĀ at the P.C., Cain had the following to say:
āMy experience here has been amazing,ā he said. āIām just looking forward to being here and learning as much as I can. Iāve been a fan of the sport since I was a little kid, and now I get to participate in it.ā
on š Cain Velasquez training at theĀ Performance Center :
"One of the greatest heavyweights in the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship trained alongside NXT Superstars this week at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Fla.
Two-time UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez stepped inside the ring to learn techniques under WWE PC coach Norman Smiley and participated in a session of DDP Yoga led by WWE Hall of FamerĀ Diamond Dallas Page. Velasquez also worked out in the WWE PCās weight room and attended last nightās NXT tapings at Full Sail Live.
The 6-foot-1 Velasquez, who sports a 14-2 record inside the Octagon, famously defeated Universal ChampionĀ Brock LesnarĀ as well as Junior Dos Santos to secure his two reigns with the UFC Heavyweight crown.
A product of the acclaimed American Kickboxing Academy, Velasquez holds an astonishing number of records among the UFC Heavyweight ranks, including the most knockouts and the highest significant strike percentage in the history of the heavyweight division.
The UFC icon, a lifelong fan of WWE and Mexican lucha libre, praised the athletes and atmosphere of the Performance Center.
āMy experience here has been amazing,ā he said. āIām just looking forwardĀ to being here and learningĀ as much as I can. Iāve been a fan of the sport since I was a little kid, and now I get to participate in it.ā
Velasquez, of course, is not the first MMA legend to walk through the doors of the WWE PC, with the likes of NXT Womenās ChampionĀ Shayna BaszlerĀ training at the Performance Center and Raw SuperstarĀ Ronda RouseyĀ having worked out there prior to making her WWE in-ring debut at WrestleMania."
Back in February, Velasquez attended WWE's 'Eliminatioš§nź©² Chamber' PPV and jokingly sent out a tweet noting that he would not mind taking another belt off of the current WWE Universal Champion Brock šÆLesnar.
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As mentioned, Cain was at the NXT TV tapings and to take a look at the full spoilers from those tapings, click here.
