🥋 Sundays with Cain – Episode 27 - A ROLL & RUMBLE Fight Co. Exclusive

Interview by “D-Man,” CTF Inmate Correspondent

Swimming in the Deep

What could have been. What should have been. What is. These thoughts walk the halls of one’s soul for a lifetime. Looking in the rearview mirror gives us 20/20 vision. It is also through mistakes that character is built. By exploring the past, present, and future of one man, we can see that character—and trace its origins.

The NFL has yet to decide on the two Super Bowl teams for this season (Let’s go Broncos!), but here at CTF (Correctional Training Facility), our 2025 Super Bowl champions have already been crowned. I’m pleased to report that Cain’s team won 38–14 against the only team that had beaten them during the season. It was a physical game, and the men who played left everything on the field.

When I spoke to Cain after the game, he had a red welt under his eye, along with bruises and scratches, and he thought he may have sprained his ankle. When we sat down this week, we started with football.

So when did you sprain your ankle?
“In the fourth quarter. I was running, someone pushed me, and I stepped in a low spot with my heel. I felt a lot of pressure in my ankle. I think it’s a bone bruise or something.”

Did you put in a medical form and get it checked out?
“Yeah, I went and got it X-rayed. I wanted to go through the whole process—experience what prison medical has to offer.”

That’s brave. Just don’t let them try to fix anything. One time, they sent a guy out for knee surgery, and they operated on the wrong knee.

Let’s talk about the game. How was winning the Super Bowl for you?
“I loved it. On defense, I was double-teamed the whole game.”

(Tangi, 285 lbs, and Corey, 275 lbs.)

So did they shut you down?
“I was able to get one sack, and I didn’t get any penalties.”

What the reader may not know is that Cain was the most penalized player in the whole league this season.

Was that something you made a point to fix?
“My son told me not to get penalties anymore after I told him how many I had. He’s actually playing flag football right now. We talk football a lot when I call—it’s pretty cool. Want to hear a funny story?”

I would love a good story.

“Okay,” Cain begins. “We had a player join the team who had played the year before. His jersey number was #33—that’s my jersey, the one I had been wearing. He commented about hemming the jersey to fit his body the year before. That night, I decided to give him the jersey. It just felt right.

“When I handed it to him, he said, ‘No, no, no, I don’t need it.’ I told him it was his, end of story. Later, he thanked me.

“We had another guy on the team who was supposed to go home. He wore #99, so he gave me that jersey. Next game, the guy who was supposed to go home was still there, ready to play. Again, it felt right to give him his jersey back. I told him, ‘It’s yours—I’ll play in a T-shirt.’

“So I’m in a T-shirt for kickoff. The ref blows the whistle and says, ‘Cain! You need a jersey!’ I tell him linemen have played in T-shirts before, but he says the rule changed right before the game.

“The other team starts yelling, ‘Cain, you can’t play without a jersey!’ I hear my team yelling, ‘Get Cain a jersey! Find a jersey!’ As I’m walking off the field, a jersey hits me in the chest. I don’t even know who threw it. I put it on—I’m #11.

“We beat them 47–6. That night, I called my family and told my son I got a new jersey number. I ask him what number he wears. He says, ‘#11.’ We both start laughing. For me, it was a lesson in synchronicity. I could’ve kept #33 or #99, but doing the right thing led to a cool moment for my son and me.”

That’s an awesome story.

We were finally able to get pictures—

one of Cain with JR Cervantes. JR isn’t just one of Cain’s teammates; he’s also one of his walking partners. They walk the yard every night and talk. I asked JR to say a few words, and he offered this:

“Playing football with Cain has been a surreal experience, to say the least. He brings a level of intensity and calmness that’s vital. I’ve been a fan of Cain for most of my incarceration—19 years—watching Cain the warrior on TV. Meeting the man in person has been even greater.

In our only loss this season, Cain looked at me and said, ‘We’re in a dogfight,’ and chuckled. That’s a memory I’ll never forget. Now on to basketball… maybe. Everyone who played with or against Cain will always have a story to tell.”

Let’s go back to where we left off last week.

You beat JDS for the second time, but afterward, you realize you’ve torn your shoulder again.

How soon did you know how bad it was?
“Probably not that night. Within a week, I knew something was wrong.”

Does the UFC pay for your surgery?
“I think I got my own MRI, but yeah—they covered fight injuries. This was around the time they started covering training-camp injuries, too. Before that, fighters would hide injuries in camp and disclose them after the fight to get coverage.”

Was that a concern when you fought JDS the first time with a bad knee?
“No. I felt pressure to fight. Everything was lined up, and I made a poor choice. You never go into a fight 100%. I fought most of my fights injured.”

How long before you trained again?
“At least six months. I wanted to be smart. After the last Junior fight, my lower back started tightening. My spine would slip every couple of months.”

How did you fix it?
“I bought an inversion table. I’d get deep-tissue massages.”

Who did those?
“My chiropractor. My lifting coach, Tony Castro, is also a chiropractor and massage therapist. Funny story—they named the Castro District after him.”

Cain says this with a straight face.

No way.

Cain laughs. “No, but I always tell people that. I love you, Tony.”

(For readers unfamiliar, the Castro District is San Francisco’s LGBTQ neighborhood.)

Were you able to manage your back this way?
“For now.”

You and Fabricio Werdum coach The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America.

What was that like?
“I coached Team Mexico. He coached Team Latin America. I had Javier, DC, Vieira, and my buddy Gabriel Carrasco as assistants. It was awesome.”

Was there pride in that?
“Yeah. Seeing young men from another country realize what’s possible—it was powerful.”

What do you remember most?
“Besides Fabricio beating me in a soccer shoot-out? I had no chance—he’s Brazilian. But I made lifelong friends: Gabriel ‘Moggly’ Benitez and Yair Rodriguez. Moggly even trained at AKA until the day I went to prison.”

Anything else?
“We were supposed to fight after the show. I got injured, and we postponed. All my guys won—I was the only one who lost.”

Now, UFC 188. June 13, 2015. Mexico City.

How did you prepare for Werdum, a world Jiu-Jitsu champion?
“We had Marcus Buchecha training with me and DC. Leandro Vieira helped too. I focused on control and top positioning.”

Now, UFC 188. June 13, 2015. Mexico City.

"I had been to Mexico City so many times. I was going there before and after every fight for my whole career. I trained down there and never really felt the altitude. I knew how hard I had trained and thought that it wouldn't take much for me to adjust. When I get there, I find out Werdum is training in a mountain pueblo a lot higher up than Mexico City. I feel it right away. Maybe because I'm in camp and my body is breaking down from pushing so hard. I don't know why my body is not responding, but I know I fucked up. I got there too late. I take the week off before every fight. To let my body heal from camp. So I only spent one week training at altitude". Why? Why were you in this situation? (I see the pain in Cain's eyes. This is his least favorite episode). "Looking back. I got comfortable with being at home. I didn't want to change that. I had been there so many times. The altitude never affected me prior to this. But most of all. I looked past Werdum". Thanks for your honesty. That is the answer people will respect most.

Let's talk about the fight. You get a nasty cut over your left eye. How did it happen? "I don't know. I just remember my eye was blurry from the blood getting in it".

You looked like you took the first round. Despite the cut. What did Jav tell you in the corner? "I was like, I can't see. Stitch is talking to me, and it sounds like I'm underwater. I couldn't hear him or Jav. I'm drowning". Round two, you start to take some punches. Is he hitting you hard? " No, I just couldn't move out of the way. My mind is trying to clear, but my body is slow. It was a trip to feel. I was so fixated on trying to breathe". So you make it to the third round. Do you think you could of not pushed the fight? Stayed back. Tried to recover. Would that have made a difference? "No, I think with my lack of preparation. It was what it was". Obviously, you are gassed. In round three, he subunits you.

After all the visits to Mexico. Being the pride of a nation. Then losing the biggest fight of that nation's dreams with their hero going down like that. Tell me what that feeling is? "It was like a dagger to my heart. One that twisted for good measure". (Cain's eyes are moist. It still hurts. I can see it.) Does it still hurt?

“No. I let a lot of that go. I fought in Mexico—that was a life goal. I just didn’t win.”

Alright, big guy. That’s all for this week. Thank you for your honesty, for sharing your story, and thank you, the reader, for taking this journey. I hope you enjoyed this snapshot of the past and the present—and I invite you back next week to hear about Cain’s tomorrow as we take another step toward his release.

Please share this story. Thank you for your time.

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