🥋 Sundays with Cain – Episode 14-A ROLL & RUMBLE Fight Co. Exclusive

September 13, 2025

🎤 Interview by “D-Man,” CTF Inmate Correspondent

Sunday rolled around again, and with it, another powerful conversation with the big guy. Cain asked me to help facilitate his breathing class this morning, which was something new for me. Normally, I’m just another participant—lying on the mat, breathing out my stress, peeling back layers of myself. But this time, standing and observing, I was able to see each man in a different light. The vulnerability in that room was almost sacred. Watching faces contort, hands tighten, and emotions break through—it reminded me once again that no words could ever fully capture holotropic breathing. You have to experience it for yourself.

After class, Cain and I sat down for our weekly talk. I mentioned seeing him play football on the yard. He’s a hell of a lineman. I asked him what it felt like to lace it up again. Cain smiled. “It’s like a chapter of my life I never really closed. Sometimes I wonder—what if I had chosen football instead of wrestling?” He told me how in high school, he was recruited more for football than wrestling, with schools like Arizona State, the University of Arizona, Nebraska, and Illinois showing interest. “The problem,” he admitted, “was my grades. They weren’t great, so scholarships never materialized.” Still, football memories run deep. At KOFA High in Yuma, his team wasn’t strong, but he felt proud of his own play. “Football has its own discipline. Different from wrestling or MMA. Being on a team, knowing people are counting on you to do your job—it feels good.”

That Friday, CTF held a fundraiser for the Special Olympics. They had a dunk tank, and Cain was a prime candidate. He laughed as he told me, “I was only in for half an hour and got dunked three times.” One thrower was a Special Olympics athlete, medals hanging proudly around her neck. After missing a few times, they let her run up and hit the target with her hand, sending Cain splashing into the water. He grinned. “It was fun.”

We shifted gears and talked about family. Last week, we explored his memories of his mom. This week, Cain chose to speak about his dad, Efrain, born in 1956 in San Luis Río Colorado, Mexico. Cain’s earliest memories of him are simple: constant hard work, weekends spent swimming wherever water could be found—canals, rivers, ponds, oceans. “Whenever my dad saw water, he’d pull over and tell us kids, ‘Let’s go,’ and we’d dive in. But he always swam in pants and boots. Never shorts. He’s a cowboy at heart.” His dad also loved music, particularly Chalino Sánchez, the Mexican storyteller who famously sang about cartels until he was murdered after receiving a death threat at one of his shows.

Cain described his parents’ bond. His father worked long hours, but mornings were sacred. “They always sat together, drinking coffee and talking. I never interrupted them. That time was theirs.” His dad wasn’t one for grand gestures of romance, but flowers for his mom on Mother’s Day meant the world. “He showed love through sacrifice—by being dependable and providing for us.”

Sports were another connection. His dad bought Cain and his brother boxing gloves and a bag, teaching them combinations. They watched boxing together, bonding over greats like Salvador Sánchez and Julio César Chávez. Cain laughed as he remembered mischief from his childhood—eating the middle out of a watermelon, spraying paint from a can he found in the garage, breaking things just to see inside. He caught a few whippings for it. “Only one of them I deserved,” he admitted, recalling a time in fourth grade when he mouthed off to the bus driver. His father whipped him with a cowboy belt, demanding to know what he said. Cain never told him. “It wasn’t something I should’ve said,” he muttered with a half-smile.

Looking back now, Cain calls his father both one of the hardest workers and one of the most sensitive souls he’s ever known. “He has so much love in him. My soul has known his soul a very long time. I believe our family helped him heal from his own traumatic childhood.” Cain spoke warmly about how selfless his father is with his grandkids, always giving them his time and love. “Even though he still won't do plant medicine with me, the offer is there". Did your mom and dad go to the fight with Brock? "They weren't planning on being there. Then I find out the day of the fight, they called DeWayne Zinkin or Bob Cook and made it known they wanted to be there". Was your dad dressed up? "He had a black cowboy hat, pants, and boots. My mom was wearing one of my shirts". Which one? "Yes, We Cain". That's cool, like the Obama slogan.

We moved on to the fight that would define his career—UFC 121, his title bout against Brock Lesnar. I asked Cain how many times he’d studied Brock’s fight with Shane Carwin. “Five times maybe,” he said. “I always watched fights with Javier. We’d form the game plan around it.” Against Lesnar, the plan was clear:

1. Accept the takedown—Lesnar was too big and skilled at wrestling to stop it.

2. Pop back up immediately. Make him waste energy until he gives up on it.

3. On my feet, put leather on him.

4. When he covered up, stay patient. Pick shots. No wasted punches.

Cain’s camp brought in Mark Ellis, a national champion wrestler from Missouri, along with DC. Training was brutal. “I’d start on my back, with DC or Ellis in whatever position they wanted. Then I’d work my way up. Over and over. Bob Cook’s high-pitched voice would cut in: ‘Cain, go down!’ And I’d lie back down and do it again.”

The night before the fight, Cain shared a team meal, took a walk, and then spent the night alone in his room. Meditation hadn’t yet become part of his pre-fight routine. “All I thought about was going to war. Taking his heart out. I told myself I’d take him to hell if I had to.” He described stepping into the Honda Center in Anaheim that night. The crowd buzzed with electricity, green, red, and white lights flashing his name across the arena. He felt at home. “These are my people”.

“The crowd is turning it up to the max that night. It's like a home fight for me being in Anaheim. There is a buzz in the air you can feel as soon as you arrive". How do you get there? " UFC has a shuttle that picks the fighters up from the hotel at different times. I took the shuttle to the arena. I'm the last one from the hotel to arrive. Brock probably took a limo". So are you watching the other fights this night? "I always watched them to gauge my warm-up. I would start three or four fights before mine. Depending on how the fights go, I would speed up or slow down my warm-up. When I start, I won't sit down again until after the fight. I'm not concerned right now about the outcome. As long as I just do my job". What are you telling yourself? "I'm waiting to be unleashed. Trying to stay in the moment. Not thinking back or ahead. I'm telling myself that I've trained for this exact moment". What's your intensity level? “I'm ready to kill and or die, whatever it takes. It's not the Cain who you know as a son, a brother, or a father. I'm going to war to destroy anything in my path". OK, warm-ups are over. How do you know when to make the walk? " UFC had a guy at that time who came and got all the fighters. His name is Burt Watson. You could hear him coming all night, getting guys. He was always pumped up and would come in and yell - ‘It's Time Baby, We're Rolling’ - and you knew you were next. So Burt comes and gets us "Cain, It's Time Baby, WE'RE ROLLING."(Check out Burts Podcast interview with Cain @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEiLqJiK2Y4)

Then Javier, Bob, Dave, DC, and I get to a spot in the tunnel where we wait. This is where they play the media commercial of pre-fight interviews. That’s where I heard Brock say that in honor of my Mexican Heritage that after he kicks my ass, he’s gonna eat a burrito and drink a Corona. Then they put a camera guy right in front of us and give you a 30-second countdown to go live". Are you guys talking? "Javier is giving me instructions. Going over what we've practiced. Feeding me over and over, “if you get taken down, pop up”. As the interviewer, from this point until Cain leaves the ring again. I feel like we're back there, in Anaheim. Cain is there right now as he's talking to me.

I'm feeling electric static in the air around the table we are sitting at. Then I hear my song 'Los Manados'. I walk a few steps and clear the tunnel into the arena, and it goes "WILD". The energy is turned up to the max. My name is flashing all around the arena in Green, Red, and White lights. Javier tells me to put up my fist so they can see the Mexican flag. These people are my people. We get to the ring, and they check my cup, mouthpiece, and nails. I hug my corner and say goodbye. Then they grease my face". How fast is your heart pumping? "It's hard to differentiate between being alive or dead. When I smell the Vaseline, I get flashes of violence. Somehow, that smell causes me to feel the punches I'm about to receive. They open the cage, and I sprint in and make one lap sprinting. The lights change, and Brock’s music comes on. The boos start. (Cain is there fully now. His words are transporting both of us to inside the Octagon) From this point on, I am at home here. The crowd is with me. He does his walk, and I see him as he gets greased. He walks in and I'm like 'Ya, he's a big dude’". Did that moment give you any pause? "I just acknowledged him, nothing more. We go to our corner, and Bruce Buffer announced us. I’m just fucking staring right into his eyes. I'm letting him know I'm going to fuck him up". Did he look away? "I think he did. I'm pacing back and forth, looking right at him. Herb Dean brings us together for instructions. I'm staring with bad intentions.

I wanted to know if he was beat before we started, but he's not giving me much. It gets real when everyone leaves the cage: coaches, camera guy, Bruce. Once they lock that fucking door, it's on. Herb says, Fight! As I meet Brock at the center, he does a quick side step and charges me. He is kneeing my stomach a couple of times, but they don't hurt. But he did push me all the way to the cage". Is that the first time someone moved you like that? "Ya, then normally on the cage I could get out, but he's so big I couldn't. 'Nope,' I just accept where I am. I notice a spot with my foot between the cage and the mat. I dig my foot in to make it harder for him to take me down". Did that help? " Nope, he picked me up and threw me down. I bounced up, just like we had practiced. I started peeling his hands away, circled, and got away”. It's a battle when you get taken down and lose your momentum. I'm bouncing right up. We separate, and I tell myself to calm down. I miss a high kick. I'm still in the process of letting everything settle. I throw some punches and see his leg open. I take it without thinking and take him down. I wrestled with a lot of big guys; now I'm familiar. I got my head on his back and drove him down. He stays on all fours. My training kicks in and I’m picking my shots and landing in open spots.

I throw a couple of hammer fists over his head. He doesn't like those and stands up. Then I get his leg again. This time, he's really heavy, so I let it go and get back to my feet. I feel a backhand somewhere in that. He has power but it wasn't all of what he's got. He does some kind of level change, and I hit him with an uppercut. I see him do some 360 breakdance move. He's moving away. I'm following. Stalking. Let the fight develop, be patient. (Cain is remembering everything now, he’s talking and walking himself through the fight like I’m not even there) He's standing up, throwing some punches.

His head is low. I fucking knee him in the face. It hits hard. He stands up and is moving to my left. I throw a long left upper cut to get the angle for the overhand right. It hits perfect. Now he does exactly what we thought he would. He covers up. I think, 'pick my shots'. I push his face down with my hand, then slice down with my elbow. I'm hitting him here, trying to make him stand up again. But all he does is roll over and try to grab my leg. I hit him until he rolls back on his stomach. I see Herb coming closer, so I know what is about to happen.

I just remember he calls it, and I step back and raise a hand and a single finger. (Cain pauses here, fighting back tears of those memories). I look up from taking notes and give him a moment. With a shaky voice and very slowly, he continues. It was like a spiritual exhale. There are no right words. It was like a dream. They do come true. Good things happen, and everything is possible. I can't even hear the crowd go crazy; my emotions are so great. (Cain's a mess right here) His eyes are bloodshot from fighting tears back, but to no avail. I give my fist to my heart for all the fans. For everybody in the crowd. For everybody watching on TV. Javier comes in the cage and we share a tear in one little moment. I hug Bob and DC. Dave Camarillo is fucking bawling the whole time. Bruce comes in and announces the win. Dana puts the belt on me". Did Brock come over and congratulate you? "Ya, we spoke, it was all a blur from here. I think I gave the belt to my mom on the way out of the cage, but I'm not sure”. As soon as I got to the locker, I remember Kevin James was there to congratulate me. From here, it's a media frenzy. I don't have time to shower. People are coming in: Dana, Family, Spanish, English, Local, Mexican, European, and International Media. I'm still in shock and pinching myself.

After a while, I heard that an altercation had occurred between Brock and the Undertaker. It was some staged thing they had cooked up to promote a WWE match between those two. Only they thought Brock was going to win. So when Brock got to where the Undertaker was standing in the exit lane from the cage. The Undertaker said his line 'Hey, You Want To Go' and with all the cameras on, Brock just lowered his head and kept walking. There was supposed to be a whole altercation in the crowd that never happened. The whole night felt surreal".

"Before you leave the arena, the doctor checks you and you get paid". They cut you a check that night, it says for $300,000. Is that right? " Ya, $200,000 for the fight. $100,000 for a bonus, and I got a pay per view check a couple of weeks later". How much was that? "A Million!". Wow! We need to talk about that another time.

What did you do when you guys left to celebrate?" We always try to get a club to host us as guests for extra money. How much does that pay? "They would pay us $20,000 for an hour. (Cain laughed really hard with this thought) That night was so weird. We walked in and went to the VIP area. The whole club just stared at us for an hour. Nobody even danced; they just stared at me. I felt super uncomfortable. We got food and headed back to the hotel. Brian Stith, his fiancé, Michelle, My Parents, Brother, and I all had beer and tequila. We heard the next day that I was going to be on the George Lopez show, so the UFC moved me to a hotel in Beverly Hills. We did media for two days in LA, then flew to Mexico".

That's such a great story, Cain. I really appreciate you trusting me with it. How does it feel to document such a detailed reflection of your life for these last three months? " It has helped me remember special moments of my life. I can see it through new eyes".

I got one more question. It's our weekly fan question. If you're reading this for the first time. Each week, I ask Cain a question from you, the fan. Read the articles. Ask a question in the Blogs, and I may choose it as our next week's fan question. This one is from MatLogic33: Cain, winning the belt by defeating Brock Lesnar was the dream you chased your whole life. When the dust settled and you woke up the next day, how did it truly feel? Was it glory, gratitude, or something different? Cain replied, ”I was still stuck between two worlds. One of knowing it happened. One that I still can't believe it happened. It was everything I thought it would be and more. It showed me that anything is possible, miracles happen, and dreams do come true”.

And with that, our Sunday came to an end. See you next week on Sundays with Cain!