Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez set for pro wrestling debut
Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez is set to make his pro wrestling debut in August, at one of the biggest shows of the year in Mexico.
Velasquez took part in a press conference Tuesday to announce he’s taking part in Mexican promotion AAA’s annual TripleMania supershow on Aug. 3.
The 36-year-old Velasquez, who is still under UFC contract and most recently lost to Francis Ngannou in mid-February, is scheduled to appear in a TripleMania match against an opponent still to be determined. At Tuesday’s press conference, Velasquez went face-to-face with three of AAA’s biggest names — Psycho Clown, Texano Jr., and Pentagon Jr.
Muy emocionado con poder participar en #triplemaniaxxvii y estar con todos los aficionados mexicanos que siempre me han apoyado! Gracias a @luchalibreaaa por la gran oportunidad. Really excited to be part of #triplemaniaxxvii! #luchalibre #Mexico pic.twitter.com/XOPjbfYIfT
– Cain Velasquez (@cainmma) March 26, 2019
This is not Velasquez’s first overture into the world of pro wrestling before. In addition to attending several WWE events and appearing prominently in the crowd, Velasquez spent time training at the WWE Performance Center in July 2018.
Velasquez was a two-time All-American in wrestling at Arizona State, and currently holds a 17-3 professional MMA record. Velasquez first won the UFC heavyweight championship in 2010, by knocking out current WWE Universal champion Brock Lesnar. He won that title again in 2012 when he defeated Junior dos Santos by a unanimous decision, after losing the belt to dos Santos a year earlier. Velasquez’s most recent fight in the UFC was his first in two-and-a-half years, because of a variety of issues including injuries.
AAA, which is one of the biggest promotions in Mexico, has had TripleMania supershows dating back to 1993. Triplemania XXVII will take place at the Mexico City Arena for the eighth straight year.