🥋 Sundays with Cain – Episode 26 - A ROLL & RUMBLE Fight Co. Exclusive

Interview by “D-Man,” CTF Inmate Correspondent

The Fire Dims

Getting photos has been the bane of my existence. Since I began documenting Cain’s stay here, photography has been the one thing holding many stories back. Once again, I’m waiting on pictures to talk about Cain’s Super Bowl game. I was, however, finally able to get a pickleball shot—well, a blurry one and a posed photo.

If you’ve been following all the episodes, then you know our camera here is basically a dinosaur.

Cain was able to have his longtime agent, Mike Fonseca, help acquire pickleball paddles for the prison. Sweet Spot Pickleball generously sent in a free set for Cain to use, so we want to send out a big thank-you to both Sweet Spot and Mike.

I’ve covered pickleball before, so why bring it up again?

Because when Cain has free time—say on a Saturday—and you ask him what he’s doing that day, his answer is almost always, “I’m playing pickleball all day.” And all day long, that’s exactly where you’ll find him.

When I sat down with Cain, my first question was simple:
What do you enjoy most about playing pickleball?

“One thing I love is how much focus it takes,” he said. “My brain is completely locked in. I’m just reacting. When I’m close to the net and make a quick shot, I don’t even know how I do it—it’s just a snap of the wrist without thinking. The back-and-forth up close can get really intense.”

Will he keep playing when he gets out?

“I think so—yeah, for sure. I hear people play a little differently on the outside. Some of the guys in here used to play tennis, so I think we stay further back from the net than most people. I’ve heard people usually play closer in. I’d like to find out. But yeah, I really like it.”

The photo we have shows Cain’s usual playing partners. Terry—with the long hair—and the other two guys named Tim. You’ll almost always find these guys next to Cain whenever he’s playing.

Pulling the Thread

When you look back on someone’s life, it’s easy to get distracted. Pulling at the threads of Cain’s story has taken many turns. Each time we sit down for an interview, I find one thread ending just as another begins to unravel.

Let’s pick up where we last left off.

The last fight we discussed was your title defense against Silva—Silva II. Now you’re preparing for your third and final fight with Junior dos Santos. You went to Mexico to promote ahead of the fight, as usual?

“Yeah, but I also went to Houston, Texas. A few months before the fight, I did a media blitz that included visiting the Houston Rockets. I remember meeting James Harden and Dwight Howard. We ended up talking again after the fight.”

What about your camp and game plan—any changes from the last JDS fight?

“There was no change. Pull the trigger first. Javi and I knew Junior would be the one making adjustments.”

Daniel Cormier also fought that night. The only time you two ever fought on the same card. Do you remember watching his fight as you warmed up?

“I do. He beat ‘Big Country’ Roy Nelson. Javi and Bob were cornering DC, then came straight into my locker room to warm me up.”

Were they hyped after DC’s win?

“Jav’s always professional. He had a job to do. It was back to work. The night was only halfway over. He came in calm and did what he always does—put me in the right headspace. Not too high, not overstimulated by someone else’s win. We still had a fight.”

Did Junior change things up on you mentally?

“I took a lot more damage in that fight. I was less coherent. I remember shooting on him and missing, smashing my face into the cage. It felt like a cheese grater hit my face. At one point, I had him in a clinch and we slammed into the cage door so hard we broke the lock. The door actually swung open.”

A Brutal War

People can watch that fight—it was a war. But what do you remember most?

“Junior’s punches were harder than before. Each one turned the lights off and on. I’d see stars floating for a second. Early in the fight, he had me in a whizzer and tried to throw me. We landed on our stomachs, but my shoulder stretched wrong. I tore my left labrum—didn’t realize how bad until after it was over.

“What stands out most is the finish. Junior had me in a modified guillotine, and it was tight. I stepped out and rolled. When I did, he hit his head hard on the mat—through the foam, straight to the wood. That’s when he turtled up and the fight ended. That choke was so tight it hurt to talk for a week.”

Do you remember celebrating afterward?

“I remember talking to Harden. He congratulated me on the way back to the locker room. Then the usual medical checks and media. We hosted a party at a club in downtown Houston, but I was so beat up. That fight was a war.”

You tore your left shoulder. Same one as against Brock?

“No. Brock was the right one.”

Did you get surgery soon after?

“Yeah. After that fight, I started thinking more about my health. The need to keep testing myself was fading. I felt like I’d done what I needed to do.”

When the Fire Changes

What did you need from fighting?

“I needed to learn about myself. To see how far I could push the edge. To learn my essence—what I’m made of. My soul burns hot, and it’ll never go out. But toward the end of my career, it wasn’t burning as hot as before.”

So it started to dim?

“Fighting helped me deal with anger. Training every day regulated it. Being able to hit someone—fuck someone up—was freedom for me. But over time, it changed. Fighting was medicine. It let me channel anger in a healthy way. My coaches knew what they had: a hot fire. And like all fires, eventually you run out of fuel.”

He paused there.

Thank you for opening up in such a thoughtful way. That final fight with JDS was clearly a turning point—we’ll explore that more next week.

The Bikes

You won another Harley after that fight?

“A 2013 Street Glide.”

How does it compare to the first one?

“The first was a Road Glide—fixed fairing. The Street Glide’s fairing moves with the handlebars. Different feel, different wind. The Road Glide cuts through wind better.”

Which do you prefer?

“They’re just different. I customized both. The Street Glide had a 103-cubic-inch engine. I asked about Harley’s 120R—what they use in drag bikes. They sent one to Oakland Harley, but it’s illegal in California. They had to grind off the VIN just to ship it. That bike is fast. You have to really know how to ride it.”

You still have both?

“Yes.”

What do you love most about riding?

(Cain pauses.) “It feels like flying. The sound is addictive. The Street Glide sounds nasty—D&D exhaust, Boarzilla pipes. It sounds so badass. I love it.”

Home Life

Do you still live in the house in Morgan Hill?

“No, we moved to Gilroy after the Brock fight. More house for the money. Quieter.”

That’s when Coral started school?

“Yeah.”

Were you the dad who dropped kids off and picked them up?

“I was.”

Teacher meetings?

“All of it. Anything I could make.”

Cain smiles.

“There was a daddy-daughter dance. Country-themed. We both wore cowboy boots—my dad was a cowboy, so we had boots ready. I took her to dinner afterward at her favorite spot—Sicilia En Bocca. She had chicken alfredo.”

Cain’s eyes water. Any memory involving his daughter still gets him emotional.

Those are good memories.

 

Closing

We’ll wrap it up there and let that memory be Cain’s final thought for the week.

When you tell someone’s story long enough, you realize how much overlap there is between all our lives. Different people. Different places. Different times. Same emotions. Same needs. Same desires.

Sometimes I find myself telling Cain’s story. Other times, I’m just telling life’s story.

Heartache is universal—and prison, for every man here, including Cain, can be a place where that heartache is felt deeply.

Until next week—thank you for reading.

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