Short answer? Cain Velasquez trains at American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) in San Jose, California. He’s listed as fighting out of San Jose. He grew up in Yuma, Arizona. He hasn’t shared his current home city publicly, so we’ll stick to what’s confirmed.
| L | Francis NgannouKO/TKO · Punches to Head On Ground · R1 0:26 | UFC Fight Night: Ngannou vs. VelasquezFeb 17, 2019 |
| W | Travis BrowneKO/TKO · Punches to Head On Ground · R1 4:57 | UFC 200: Tate vs NunesJul 9, 2016 |
| L | Fabricio Werdum TitleSubmission · Guillotine Choke On Ground · R3 2:13 | UFC 188: Velasquez vs WerdumJun 13, 2015 |
| W | Junior Dos Santos TitleKO/TKO · Punch to Head On Ground · R5 3:09 | UFC 166: Velasquez vs Dos Santos 3Oct 19, 2013 |
| W | Antonio Silva TitleKO/TKO · Punch to Head At Distance · R1 1:21 | UFC 160: Velasquez vs Silva 2May 25, 2013 |
So where’s Cain actually from?
This one trips people up. The UFC lists his place of birth as Salinas, California. But he was raised in Yuma, Arizona. You’ll see a few sites claim he was born in Yuma, and they’re mixing up the two places.
Yuma is where his athletic life took off. At Kofa High School he went 110–10 over four years of wrestling and won the 5A Arizona title twice. From there, he wrestled at Arizona State University at the NCAA Division I level and became a two-time All-American.
Have you ever wondered how a kid from Yuma ended up in the Bay Area? Wrestling is the simple answer. And MMA is the rest of it.
Which gym does he train at?
It’s AKA, and it has been for most of his pro career. The UFC’s athlete page lists AKA San Jose as where he trains. He turned pro in October 2006 and signed with the UFC in early 2008, training at AKA.
So what is AKA? It’s an MMA gym based in San Jose, and Javier Mendez founded it in 1985. If you’ve read our post on where Khabib Nurmagomedov lives and trains, you’ll know the gym. Khabib is one of its best-known names.
Here’s who has been listed on his coaching team over the years:
- Daniel Cormier for wrestling
- Javier Mendez for kickboxing
- Leandro Vieira for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
- Joe Grosso for strength
- Rosendo Sanchez for boxing
That list comes from his Wikipedia profile. It reflects his career overall, so don’t read it as today’s exact coaching schedule.
What was a Velasquez fight camp like?
Honestly, the public details are pretty thin. Fighters rarely publish full camp schedules. But we do know the people around him, and we know the gym’s reputation.
Velasquez was the first AKA fighter to win UFC gold, beating Brock Lesnar at UFC 121 on October 23, 2010. Later, he and Cormier shared the room. There’s a photo of them working out together at an AKA media day in January 2016.
Mendez has described Cain’s role in the gym. In his words, “Nobody pushes any fighter in our gym the way Cain does.”
So when people ask about Cain’s camps, the honest answer is simple. They happened at AKA in San Jose, with teammates who were champions themselves. His last UFC fight was UFC Fight Night: Ngannou vs. Velasquez on February 17, 2019. We won’t invent camp details beyond that.
Where does he train now?
Back at AKA, but in a different role. In February 2026, he was paroled from a California state prison after a conviction tied to a 2022 shooting. He served about 11 months of a five-year sentence and was credited for time served.
Since then, he’s returned to AKA in San Jose, where he now focuses on coaching. He told NBC, “I’ve always been a teacher even though I didn’t necessarily think I was.”
He’s also been around fight nights. He worked the broadcast team at MVP MMA’s first event in May.
Is a comeback coming?
Here’s where you should be careful. Two things have circulated, and neither is a confirmed booking.
- A report from Red Corner MMA says he’ll wrestle Frank Mir at an AIGA event in California this November. That’s one report. We haven’t seen an official announcement.
- Mendez says Velasquez is “in discussions” to join Real American Freestyle “soon.” That was reported on October 23, 2026.
And he hasn’t ruled out an MMA return, according to a May report. Do we know when, or if, he’ll compete? No. So treat it as news worth watching, not a done deal.
Quick facts
| Item | What’s confirmed |
|---|---|
| Born | Salinas, California (July 28, 1982) |
| Raised | Yuma, Arizona |
| High school | Kofa High School |
| College | Arizona State University |
| Gym | American Kickboxing Academy, San Jose |
| Current role | Coaching at AKA |
| Last MMA fight | February 17, 2019 |
| Home city | Not publicly confirmed |
What fans usually get wrong
Let’s clear up a few things.
- “Fights out of” doesn’t mean “lives in.” It tells you where he trains. It doesn’t tell you where he sleeps.
- He didn’t train in Arizona as a pro. Arizona is where he wrestled and grew up. The pro career was built in San Jose.
- He isn’t an active fighter right now. The UFC lists him as retired.
So if you want to see where Cain spends his working days, AKA in San Jose is the answer. Nothing we found says otherwise.
We’ll keep watching for official word on his next move. If a booking gets confirmed, we’ll update this page. And if you’re curious about other fighters’ gyms, we’ve covered a few more, like Jon Jones in Albuquerque. Thanks for reading, and we’ll catch you on the next one.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does Cain Velasquez live?
He hasn’t publicly said, and we won’t guess. We can say he’s listed as fighting out of San Jose, California, and he grew up in Yuma, Arizona.
What gym does Cain Velasquez train at?
American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose. Since his release he’s back there, focusing on coaching.
Is Cain Velasquez still fighting?
Not in MMA. He hasn’t fought in MMA since Francis Ngannou stopped him in 26 seconds in February 2019, and he retired later that year. Wrestling matches have been reported, but a Mir match is unconfirmed.
Where did Cain Velasquez go to college?
Arizona State University, after a season at Iowa Central Community College. He won the NJCAA heavyweight national title there.
Sources
- UFC: Cain Velasquez athlete page
- UFC: Inside the Camp: AKA update
- Wikipedia: Cain Velasquez
- Wikipedia: American Kickboxing Academy
- BoxingNews: Velasquez On Life After Prison Release
- BoxingNews: Cain Velasquez In Talks To Join RAF
- The Washington Times: Velasquez released from prison
- Bloody Elbow: Velasquez reportedly books first match since prison release
- Bloody Elbow: Velasquez on a potential MMA return
- MMA Blog: Cain Velasquez fighter profile
- Fox News Latino: Cain Velasquez profile
Last updated: October 2026
