Cain Velasquez Net Worth

What is Cain Velasquez's net worth and salary?

Cain Velasquez is a Mexican American professional wrestler and retired professional mixed martial artist who has a net worth of $4 million.

Cain Velasquez emerged as one of the most dominant heavyweights in mixed martial arts history during his prime. A two-time UFC Heavyweight Champion, Velasquez combined elite wrestling with surprising speed and cardio rare for the heavyweight division.

After an undefeated amateur wrestling career at Arizona State University, Velasquez transitioned to MMA in 2006 and quickly compiled impressive victories. His breakthrough came in 2010 when he demolished Brock Lesnar to win his first UFC Heavyweight Championship.

Though he lost the title to Junior dos Santos in 2011, Velasquez responded with two decisive victories in their trilogy, reclaiming and defending his championship with a punishing style that showcased his relentless pressure and ground-and-pound.

At his peak, Velasquez was considered nearly unbeatable, with victories over Antonio Silva, Cheick Kongo, and Ben Rothwell. However, injuries repeatedly derailed his career, limiting his activity and ultimately contributing to his decline.

His career ended on a disappointing note with losses to Fabricio Werdum and Francis Ngannou. Despite these setbacks, Velasquez's legacy as one of MMA's greatest heavyweights remains secure, with his combination of wrestling, striking, and conditioning revolutionizing the division.

Early Years

Cain Ramirez Velasquez was born on June 28, 1982, in Salinas, California. His father, Efrain, is from Sinaloa, Mexico, and moved to the U.S. as an undocumented immigrant. He met Cain's American-born mother, Isabel. They fell in love, got married, and Efrain became a U.S. citizen. Cain is one of three children of his parents. He has a brother named Efrain, Jr. and a sister named Adela. Cain and his siblings grew up in Yuma, Arizona. He wrestled throughout high school and won the 5A Arizona Wrestling Championship two times. He also played high school football as a linebacker. He was captain of the wrestling and football teams during his senior year of high school. Cain enrolled at Iowa Central Community College and wrestled during the 2001-2002 season. He won the heavyweight division of the NJCAA National Championship. He transferred to Arizona State University for his sophomore year. He wrestled on the Sun Devils' team for three years.

Career

After college, Velasquez joined the American Kickboxing Academy. He made his MMA debut in October 2006 versus Esse Fujarczyk, which he won by TKO in the first round. Velasquez took on then-undefeated Jeremiah Constant next and won via TKO in the first round. He made his UFC debut in April 2008 at UFC 83 against Brad Morris. He won in the first round by TKO. In July 2008, he took on Jake O'Brien at UFC Fight Night 14. Velasquez also won this fight in the first round by TKO. He also emerged victorious in the first against Denis Stojnic, Cheick Kongo, Ben Rothwell, and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. The last match gave Velasquez a chance at the UFC Heavyweight Championship against reigning champ Brock Lesnar. He tore his rotator cuff in that match. But before he was carried off for surgery, Velasquez bested Lesnar with a TKO in the first round.

After his shoulder healed, Velasquez returned to the octagon in late 2011 to defend his Heavyweight title against Junior dos Santos. Velasquez had his first loss in this match and was knocked out by dos Santos a little over one minute into the first round. Velasquez wasn't down for long, and he beat Antonio Silva in the first round before taking on a rematch with dos Santos, which Velasquez won. The years from 2015 to 2019 saw the decline of Velasquez's career with losses to Fabricio Werdum and Francis Ngannou. Velasquez announced his retirement from MMA in October 2019.

Velasquez was the first major Mexican-American Heavyweight Champion in MMA history.

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Velasquez didn't retire completely. After retiring from MMA, he announced that he'd signed a multi-match deal with Lucha Libra AAA Worldwide's Heavyweight division. His first match was a six-man trios action at Triplemania XXVII, which was a win for Velasquez's team.

Velasquez made his WWE debut on October 4, 2019, on the first episode of the 20th season of Fox's "SmackDown." Velasquez confronted and attacked Broke Lesnar. Velasquez was then set to face Lesnar for the WWE Championship on October 31, 2019. Lesnar retained his WWE Championship in 88 seconds, making Velasquez tap out to the Kimura Lock.

In April 2020, WWE released Cain Velasquez from his contract after just six months. He performed in just two matches. The cuts were one part of WWE's plan to deal with the financial fallout of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Some outlets reported that Velasquez was cut from the WWE due to "backstage mistakes," including revealing the lineup of a future first. Velasquez was also accused of knowing about a knee injury that needed to be surgically repaired before he signed his WWE contract.  However, WWE is reportedly leaving the door open for Velasquez's return to the WWE at a later date.

Personal Life

He married his girlfriend Michelle on May 28, 2011, and their daughter Coral Love Velasquez was born on May 6, 2009. Their son was born in 2018. Velasquez speaks English and Spanish fluently. He has been a guest star on Spanish-language television networks such as Telemundo and Univision. He also appeared as a featured guest on "Lopez Tonight." Velasquez also appeared in the music video "Te Siento" for Wisin & Yandel.

In the early days of his professional fighting career, Cain trained at a facility in California far from his home. He worked as a bouncer at a club near his training center and frequently slept in his car rather than making the long drive back to Yuma, Arizona, each night. He told his mom he was staying with a friend.

Velasquez enters the ring to the song "Los Mandados," which tells the story of a Mexican immigrant who tried to cross the border into the U.S. His father, Efrain, made six trips trying to get into the U.S. and was deported all six times. On Efrain's seventh trip to the U.S., he met his future wife, Isabel.

Velasquez has a "Brown Pride" tattoo on his chest as a display of Mexican pride and a reminder of the hardships his parents went through.

Velasquez originally wanted to be a boxer, but his family was too poor for gloves and lessons. Wrestling was cheaper and easier to get involved with.

Legal Troubles

In February 2022, after learning his 4-year-old son had allegedly been molested by a man named Harry Goularte at a daycare center, Velasquez took matters into his own hands. He pursued Goularte in an 11-mile car chase through three Silicon Valley cities, firing multiple rounds from a .40-caliber handgun. The shooting wounded an unintended victim and endangered schoolchildren as bullets struck near a charter school during dismissal time.

Velasquez was arrested in San Jose after the chase. He subsequently entered a no-contest plea to felony attempted murder, assault, and weapons charges, which allowed him to avoid a potential life sentence. Prior to sentencing, Velasquez had spent over 250 days in custody before being released on $1 million bail in November 2022. His defense argued that traumatic brain injuries and possible CTE impaired his impulse control. Meanwhile, Goularte, who was initially arrested on suspicion of lewd acts with a minor, remains out on supervised release with GPS monitoring as his case continues. On March 25, 2025, Velasquez was sentenced to five years in prison.

Earnings

Cain Velasquez earned $450,000 for his fight against Francis Ngannou on UFC on ESPN1 on February 19, 2019.

Real Estate

In 2014, Velasquez and his wife listed their 5,100-square-foot estate in Gilroy, California, for $1.7 million. The home was built in 1999 and sits on more than two acres. A month later, the price was dropped to $1.6 million.

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