What makes a man come back from the throws of utter defeat? What makes him return to the battlegrounds where he once got annihilated?
What goes through his head while he's training for the biggest comeback of his career?
When analyzing the biggest loss of Cain's career, yeah that 64 second one, with a previous unblemished record of one sided mayhem, one wonders, "damn yo, why so quick?"
How does a fighter that once annihilated opponents and went by the monicker of "The Terminator" get terminated himself.
Every fighter eventually loses, but the style and time in which they lose is very important.
Not executing a proper gameplan in expeditious fashion, in a career where every second seems like an eternity is not wise. Letting pride disrupt you gameplan & wanting to exchange blows with the best and most powerful striker in the UFC's heavyweight division is not smart. The merger of both is death. The main difference in their first fight was Dos Santos faith. and Cain's lack thereof or more secular approach to fighting and training. Pre fight nerves are a natural part of the process and build up to a fight. How we handle those nerves becomes imperative,not only in relaxing us, and stopping that dreaded stress response hormone, Cortisol, from taking flight, but also in honing and focusing our internal "chi" energy for positive and powerful results.
In the prefight promotional ufc videos that hype up the fight called UFC Countdown. Cain never once mentioned any God or any faith. I think this is where he went wrong. In the days leading up to the fight and the weigh in, he looked nervous and anxious. The countdown to his demise had already begun.
Every fighter or soldier has a potent arsenal at their disposal that they use like a special forces soldier uses bullets, grenades, flash charges, laser guided sniper scopes. etc.
Faith & Prayer: The "bullet" and "grenade" of any successful comeback. In the hearts of Christians,
Jesus is lifting multiverses & sprinting through time & space in preparation for his.
Jesus is lifting multiverses & sprinting through time & space in preparation for his.
It comes down to one word.
Belief.
Belief.
There is something special about believing. To know that for whatever reason "luck", Mars and the war gods, your opponents superior skill or your lack of proper preparation and execution had a hand in dealing you a loss, but more importantly the belief in your talents and your ability to bounce back from adversity. True Champions make no excuses. What happened, happened. It cant be changed, only corrected.
In my fictional version of the UFC Countdown show, shows Cain jogging by that coveted golden morning sunrise, that Tolkien Colossal Church Tower, ipod blaring his favourite and most inspirational ballads, a remix of 50cent's "Many Men", Christian Contemporary, Che Guevara U.N speeches. and Joel Orsteen Motivational Bible based monologues. Being the ultimate strategist that Cain is, understanding where he went wrong, a man who once didnt believe, now turns to something called prayer, something called faith, something called eternal love. In his heart of hearts he somehow knows this has to be greater than that of the nemesis who crushed him. His face covered in sweat and tears of faith, he fights and trains beyond the rational, beyond the human limit & beyond this world. Though there is no certainty, he somehow knows, believes with every fibre of his being that he has exhausted every possibility; his comeback is at hand.
Even if the fates have chosen otherwise, he will find away to win. At any cost. As he recites passages from his favourite Bible verses, thanks his new found God as chills of spiritual energy flow through him. He's studied his opponent thoroughly along with game tape on where he went wrong. He seeks out the best trainers, sparring partners & champions in their respective fields. He visits old friends, teachers and sensei's and minimizes the mandatory ufc promotional appearances. He doesnt sleep much as the "all out" training regiment makes trendy workouts like "Crossfit" look like child's play.
Steadfastly visualizing his victory with Shadowboxing & Fasting. The utter recreation of his being is metamorphising, like that of the eagle and its rebirth in the highest apex of earths highest heights, bordering Peter's sniper post. Putting all non productive procrastinating habits on the altar, too lazy, too much pride etc. Burned and cremated forever. He gets his "Brown Pride" tatoo altered, it now reads " "Lion's Pride". Gratitude and understanding of the fact that his family, friends & fans are pivotal to his success. The Annihilation of Big Foot Silva is but the prequel/foreshadowing of what will happen to Dos Santos. A new man rises.
This is the story of any man. and every man.
Fighting to come back from some loss life has dealt us. Cancer. Imprisonment. Death of a loved one. Injury. etc.
Whether or not Cain finds faith in God, we can't know for sure. Life and God reveal profound spiritual insights in unconventional and mysterious ways, at their own time. These things can't be forced.
As my fictional recreation of Cain's turn to faith comes to an end, something similar to Paul's conversion at Damascus gets visualized. Only less dramatic. In my version the UFC Countdown Video finishes with a shot a little Mexican girl figthing cancer, running up to him and in Spanish saying "Cain, Cain. It doesnt matter that you lost, you're still our Champion and we love you". As He picks her up, Mexican flag wrapped tightly around his hand, a shinny golden necklace with a "t" props out of his hoodie. She asks him what it stands for. He smiles laughs and says. "Gracias Princesa. Ask your parents on December 30th. If they dont tell you, ill be back to tell you". He puts her down gently and continues running.
In my fictional version of the UFC Countdown show, shows Cain jogging by that coveted golden morning sunrise, that Tolkien Colossal Church Tower, ipod blaring his favourite and most inspirational ballads, a remix of 50cent's "Many Men", Christian Contemporary, Che Guevara U.N speeches. and Joel Orsteen Motivational Bible based monologues. Being the ultimate strategist that Cain is, understanding where he went wrong, a man who once didnt believe, now turns to something called prayer, something called faith, something called eternal love. In his heart of hearts he somehow knows this has to be greater than that of the nemesis who crushed him. His face covered in sweat and tears of faith, he fights and trains beyond the rational, beyond the human limit & beyond this world. Though there is no certainty, he somehow knows, believes with every fibre of his being that he has exhausted every possibility; his comeback is at hand.
Even if the fates have chosen otherwise, he will find away to win. At any cost. As he recites passages from his favourite Bible verses, thanks his new found God as chills of spiritual energy flow through him. He's studied his opponent thoroughly along with game tape on where he went wrong. He seeks out the best trainers, sparring partners & champions in their respective fields. He visits old friends, teachers and sensei's and minimizes the mandatory ufc promotional appearances. He doesnt sleep much as the "all out" training regiment makes trendy workouts like "Crossfit" look like child's play.
Steadfastly visualizing his victory with Shadowboxing & Fasting. The utter recreation of his being is metamorphising, like that of the eagle and its rebirth in the highest apex of earths highest heights, bordering Peter's sniper post. Putting all non productive procrastinating habits on the altar, too lazy, too much pride etc. Burned and cremated forever. He gets his "Brown Pride" tatoo altered, it now reads " "Lion's Pride". Gratitude and understanding of the fact that his family, friends & fans are pivotal to his success. The Annihilation of Big Foot Silva is but the prequel/foreshadowing of what will happen to Dos Santos. A new man rises.
This is the story of any man. and every man.
Fighting to come back from some loss life has dealt us. Cancer. Imprisonment. Death of a loved one. Injury. etc.
Whether or not Cain finds faith in God, we can't know for sure. Life and God reveal profound spiritual insights in unconventional and mysterious ways, at their own time. These things can't be forced.
As my fictional recreation of Cain's turn to faith comes to an end, something similar to Paul's conversion at Damascus gets visualized. Only less dramatic. In my version the UFC Countdown Video finishes with a shot a little Mexican girl figthing cancer, running up to him and in Spanish saying "Cain, Cain. It doesnt matter that you lost, you're still our Champion and we love you". As He picks her up, Mexican flag wrapped tightly around his hand, a shinny golden necklace with a "t" props out of his hoodie. She asks him what it stands for. He smiles laughs and says. "Gracias Princesa. Ask your parents on December 30th. If they dont tell you, ill be back to tell you". He puts her down gently and continues running.
The girl looks and smiles as she recognizes the title of the third installment of her favourite fantasy book trilogy protruding from Cain's back pocket..
The Rise & Faith of Cain Velasquez.
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