Cain Velasquez punches Brock Lesnar on the ground during their fight at UFC 121. Credit: Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Cain Velasquez beat Brock Lesnar so badly he lost interest in MMA and did not answer UFC phone calls

Originally posted on Bloody Elbow | By Harvey Leonard | Last updated Oct 23, 2025 5:17 PM ET

Brock Lesnar’s time as an intimidating force in the Octagon was ended in brutal fashion.

After transitioning to MMA from professional wrestling, Lesnar knocked out Randy Couture to become the UFC heavyweight champion. He would go on to defend the belt successfully on two occasions to establish himself as a frightening figure in the weight class.

But the next hurdle proved to be too tall for ‘The Beast Incarnate’, as he ran into Cain Velasquez. The American Kickboxing Academy product was unbeaten in eight fights and widely tipped to become one of the heavyweight division’s all-time greats.

En route to that status, Velasquez delivered a devastating beatdown at Lesnar’s expense on this day, October 23, in 2010.

Cain Velasquez beat Brock Lesnar’s MMA love out of him at UFC 121

Lesnar and Velasquez headlined UFC 121 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. That was to be the site as a new heavyweight king was crowned, and the title changed hands with ease.

The Californian fan favorite tore through Lesnar in just over four minutes, netting Knockout of the Night and Knockout of the Year with a destructive performance that left ‘The Beast Incarnate’ beaten bloody.

In fact, the one-sided mauling was so bad that two months after UFC 121, Pro Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer revealed that not only was Lesnar ignoring phone calls from the promotion, he was even reconsidering his continued participation in MMA.

“Lesnar reportedly hasn’t talked with anyone from UFC or answered their phone calls since losing the UFC heavyweight title to Cain Velasquez last month,” Meltzer said.

“Sources also say that Lesnar hasn’t begun to prepare for his next UFC fight and hasn’t trained since losing to Velasquez.

“It’s said that Lesnar has lost some interest in MMA and has been reconsidering his future in the sport after his loss to Velasquez and the beating he took in the win against Shane Carwin before that,” he added.

Lesnar ultimately returned 14 months after the loss to Velasquez. He fell via knockout again, this time opposite Alistair Overeem.

That resulted in a five-year layoff before a one-off, controversial return against Mark Hunt at UFC 200, which spelled the end of Lesnar’s career in MMA.

Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Tom Aspinall picks Brock Lesnar to lose to UFC 321 rival Ciryl Gane

Just over 15 years after Velasquez’s dominant win over Lesnar, the heavyweight title will be on the line between two of this generation’s top names in the division.

In the UFC 321 main event this Saturday, Ciryl Gane will challenge Tom Aspinall. The English champion will enter the cage as a sizable favorite but has been keen to show that he is not underestimating the Frenchman’s threat.

To prove as much, Aspinall picked Gane over Lesnar and another ex-UFC heavyweight champ in Fabricio Werdum during a fight week game of ‘Winner Stays On’ with TNT Sports.

This article first appeared on Bloody Elbow and was syndicated with permission.

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