🥋 Sundays with Cain – Episode 31 - A ROLL & RUMBLE Fight Co. Exclusive

Interview by “D-Man,” CTF Inmate Correspondent

Everything Has A Season 

Reading spiritual books is like reading the menu at a restaurant. Don't forget you must eat the meal. - Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche 

This was a rather uneventful week. Cain could be seen barefoot, working out in the rain once again. He also joined us in a breathing class as a participant this week. Taking a turn, doing some self-care, I imagine. I always appreciate clearing my mind with a dose of holotropic breathing. I know that Cain's time here is running short, and I'm sure he just needs a little clarity on what's next. That's exactly what breathing like this does for a person. I know that it has helped me work through self-esteem issues. Cain has been the person I go to and talk about these feelings and thoughts. Especially after a breathing session. He will be dearly missed. While he is here, we will continue to learn from him. For now, let's pick back up where we left off last week.

Last week, we wrapped up you're three year recovery from back surgery. Today, we are going to cover your final UFC fight. First, I would like to ask you about the extra time your layoff allowed you to spend at home. I think when kids learn to walk, you can't help but enjoy those moments. What was that like with Cain Jr.? "I think he and Coral both learned to walk at around 9 months. I got him a racecar walker. Then I put some Porsche stickers on it. We had a long hallway with wood floors. I loved videotaping him running up and down the hall (Cain laughs). I remember our dog Chanel and Cain Jr. didn't get along very well. Why's that? "Chanel got jealous that we brought a baby home. One day, while playing catch with the dog, she runs into Cain bringing the ball back. (Cain just smiles and shakes his head) Ya, they just didn't get along. Anything else that gives you joy, looking back on this time? "We were given this kid's scaffolding. It was like a tower. We put it next to our kitchen island. Cain used to be able to climb up through the middle of it. When he got to the top, there was like a perch. He could stand up there and be at the adult's level. This allowed him to hang out with us at the kitchen island without a high chair. It was built solidly and was really cool to have.

I'm sure you will cherish those memories. They are only babies for a little while. Let's talk about the gym. Are you noticing a difference in your speed or mobility? "The speed feels like it's there. The biggest difference was sitting on the ground with my feet out in front of me. It felt like I would fall backwards. There was no bend in my back. I noticed it mainly in this sitting position. So you're in camp again. Preparing for your fight with Francis Ngannou. How have things changed, and what's the game plan? "Look, in the gym, we’re not training as we used to. I used to spar for five rounds, three times a week. Now the things that I’m doing are designed not to break the body down. So I can just make the fight, first and foremost. What's the game plan? " I know that if I can wrestle him, I will have success. The plan is to take it to the ground. For how big and strong this guy is, I know I can't stand in there and trade punches. You feel confident and ready to fight? "I'm having deeper thoughts. This is around the time I began searching for something deeper. Like what? "I would say, inner wisdom. I had squeezed all the juice out of the fruit in fighting. Honestly, it was becoming boring. Once the juice is gone, no amount of squeezing will produce more. I had also begun reading the Kybalion, based on the Hermetic Principles, by Thoth or Hermes. I didn't know what it was, but I just started reading it over and over. I felt like nobody around me was into it. I knew I had to take this journey alone.

What is this book and this journey showing you? "One night before bed, I asked to have a visit from my spirit guide. I woke up in the middle of the night and saw these five sparkles in the middle of the room. A sense of content rolled over me, and I went back to sleep. I didn't freak out or get all excited. I was just content, gave a little sigh, rolled over, and fell back asleep. From then on, I knew I was not alone. I have a team of spirit ancestors from the other side of the veil. Guiding me on my path. I know now the other side is working right in front of us. We just can't always see it. The Hermetic principles helped me understand "As above, so below". Helped me understand duality in all its different forms.

So this is what you're focused on going into your fight? "Fighting began for me as an outlet to express my pain. A way for me to understand myself. Now I was looking for my answers differently. The night I fought Francis, I sat in the locker room before the fight and asked God for more. What do you mean? "Right before I walk out. I said out loud, "God, show me more than what this is. Let's talk about that moment. Is Bert still backstage calling the fighters out with “We're rolling, baby!"? "No, Bert's not there anymore. He used to create such an electric atmosphere. He put magic into the fighters. He could make it feel like we were getting called out to the Roman Coliseum.

Well, it's not in Rome, it is in Arizona. February 17th, 2019, UFC Fight Night. Is it like a home match for you? "It is, Ortiz and Rustad are both there. I remember at one point Ngannou gets close, and I fire a kick that doesn't connect. Then I go in for a shot, and my right hand goes behind his knee. Then my left hand grabs it, and everything shuts off. I woke up to extreme pain coming from my knee. I couldn't process it at the time, but my knee was severely damaged.

When I was out on my feet, Francis held me up, and my knee buckled sideways. Later, I underwent an MRI and had a torn meniscus, MCL, and PCL. The day after the fight, I could walk on it, but it was bad. Let me ask you about losing in Arizona. Did this feel like Mexico all over again? "In my wrestling career from high school through college. I only lost one match at home. It hurts. It's humiliating. If I had written my story myself, yes, I would have won in those places. As much as those losses hurt, they also build strength. You have to pick up the pieces and move on. Staying in grace. When you pick up those pieces, you play them in the world of Lucha. How did that come about?

"It was another one of my dreams. To do Lucha wrestling. I grew up watching it, so it meant a lot to me. Mike Fonseca, my agent, worked it out with the UFC that I could go and give it a shot. Mike and I go to Mexico and do some press conferences for Triple Mania 27. They plan on bringing me in as a "heel" or the bad guy. They knew I grew up watching Lucha, so that didn't work. Not for the fans and not for the people behind the scenes. They figured out that I had to be the good guy.

What about the bum knee? "I get a brace from a CTI. They measure my leg and make me a carbon fiber hinged brace. I'm wearing it in the gym, riding a bike, everywhere. I'm not going to have another surgery. I just let this one go and learn how to use my leg differently. So are you down in Mexico learning how to perform in this new discipline? " I actually found a gym in San Jose called Pro Wrestling Revolution. My new coach, Vinnie Massaro, did Lucha Underground. I go there and train like six times. They are just showing me the basics. By the time I'm done, I feel like I don't know what I'm doing, and I have this match coming up. It's awkward. I'm used to wrestling. Where my leverage is spot on. This leverage doesn't match up.

Take us to Mexico. How early do you show up before this match? "I show up like six days before the event. It feels like fight week. I just don't know what to do in the fight yet. I don't have any gear. I don't have a mask. But I'm there. I'm doing interviews with the same stations and reporters I used to talk to. Daniel (DC) is talking me up to all the people he knows. He is a huge WWE fan and is excited for my match. But I still don't have anything ready. It was probably four nights before the match when Oscar came over and measured me for this Lucha outfit. (Cain is smiling so big, remembering this time. It's good to see pure joy come from this story). The day before the match, I'm freaking out. We haven't done one single walk-through. In my mind, I'm like this is going to be so fucking stupid. By this time, the whole community down there is telling me "No Pasa Nada" (nothing is going to happen or "No Problem"). But I'm nervous. (Cain laughs)

The day before the event, they finally brought me into a gym with Psycho Clown, Cody Rhodes, Taurus, Texana, and Killer Cross. It's a three-on-three. So you guys go over all the moves? "I had Michelle there videotaping it. Psycho and Killer mastermind the whole match. They see I'm nervous and tell me "No Pasa Nada". My first move was a back roll over someone who is bent over. I stayed up watching Michelle's video all night, going over it. That night back at the hotel, Oscar brings me my mask "El Toro", my pants, and and air brushed wrestling shoes. Everything fits perfectly. Then you're ready for your big moment? " Ya, the next day we have the kids on the drive to the arena. I'm nervous. I tell myself to just have fun, and I am able to let that go. I got there, and they had me in a locker room all by myself. So I took my stuff and moved into the main locker room with everyone else. It was nuts. You could smell Mexican muscle rub, hair spray, body oils, and paint. It's wild in there. Women, men, tall, short, exotics, and masks. Everyone comes together. 

This is a big night for this group. It's a family business. Dorian Roldán and his mom, Marisela Peña Roldán, who was the original president, gave a speech. Konnan from WCW is there and is the story writer of all the plots. He's the matchmaker. They wish everyone good luck and remind everyone of how grand this night is. Then the show kicks off. We are second to last. I hit all the moves we practiced the night before. I hit a move that normally only small guys do. The Hurricane Rama. Even the announcer is surprised. At one point, I pretended to hurt my shoulder. Mike Fonseca thought I actually hurt myself and was like "no, not again". (Cain laughs, and his smile is stretching his face; it's so big) So I won the match, and nobody in Lucha does this, but I took off my mask at the end.

This is when I look into the crowd and see Coral just bawling. It’s her first time seeing me in a match of any kind. So how did you feel afterwards? "This is better than I thought it would ever be. Everyone who saw it had great reactions. Alexa Grasso and Yari Rodriguez were my guests that night. 

So it was pretty special. I remember when I talked to Daniel "DC" he was like, "man I didn't know you could do that. So ya, it all worked out great. How much does something like this pay? " It was 25k". OK, what was your pay for Ngannou? "It was 600 K". So you did it for the love of Lucha? "Yes, of course. A childhood dream come true. I was wearing my knee brace on the outside of my pants. Fairly soon after the match, I started seeing online these homemade action figures of me with the brace on. Also, to have my kids there was perfect. You lose your mom two weeks later. We have talked about that a few times. "I was able to be there for her. I got to say goodbye. That's right. Not everyone gets that chance. So then next was WWE? " I did Lucha in New York right before that. I think it was October 1st. (Cain finally remembers a date unprompted) So how was New York? "I gained a new love for Lucha. We talked about what we’re going to do, three hours before the match. I'm starting to get a little worried again. Psycho Clown asks me, "what do you think about jumping off the top rope?". I'm tell him I've never done anything like that before. He tells me "No Pasa Nada" and we practice it a few times. So were in the middle of the real match and now its my time to jump of the top rope. Michelle sees me step up to the top rope and tells herself, "No, he's not going to JUMP!" as I fly in the air".

So how did it go? "It was perfect. The crowd went wild". That's such a good story. That's it for this week, big guy. Next week, we will talk about Brock and WWE. Thank you for reading. Share this story with your friends. Especially those who love Cain, Lucha, or just good stories.

Thank you for reading. Please share this story—especially with those who love Cain, Lucha, or just a damn good story.

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