Dana White: 'Cain Velasquez is next big UFC star'
If it seems like all of the UFC's biggest stars are going away (Georges St. Pierre, Anderson Silva, etc.) UFC president Dana White doesn't appear too worried. At a recent media luncheon, UFC president Dana White gushed over heavyweight champ Cain Velasquez and said that he has the potential to become the next GSP, in terms of star-power.
"Cain Velasquez, too, we're literally riding him down to Mexico," White said last week in Vancouver.
"I wouldn't even go to Mexico without Cain Velasquez. Cain Velasquez is a huge star, too. When you have an entire country that's going to follow and support you, there's nothing bigger than that."
Velasquez' parents immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico and he will headline the UFC's first-ever event in the country this fall, defending his title against Fabricio Werdum in Mexico City. White says that, though his promotion has other big stars, a true measure of popularity is whether or not a fighter breaks open a new territory of fans, the way St. Pierre did in Canada for the UFC.
"You can argue it's Jon Jones, it's Ronda [Rousey], they don't have Canada riding on their backs. They don't have Mexico riding on their backs. When you can get a whole country behind you, that's when you know what a big star you are," White said.
"Cain is, he's the guy everyone cares about down there. Biggest press conference in [major television network] Telavisa history when we went down there."
Do you think Velasquez will take off in popularity in Mexico? Let us know in the comments section.
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