ROSEMEAD, Calif. (AP) — The first UFC champion to fight on live network television has the looks of a bouncer and the voice of an elementary-school teacher.
That’s because Cain Velasquez probably would be using his education degree from Arizona State if his mixed martial arts career hadn’t taken off.
In a sport that’s widely — and incorrectly — thought to be practiced entirely by ruffians and miscreants, Velasquez is a model citizen with his immigrant father’s old-fashioned work ethic and a quiet family life in the Bay Area.
UFC President Dana White thinks he selected an ideal ambassador for MMA in its Fox debut on Saturday night. Velasquez returns from a yearlong injury absence to defend his belt against Brazil’s similarly well-mannered Junior Dos Santos at Anaheim’s Honda Center.
