For many mixed martial arts fighters, motivation to fight comes from different places. For UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez, the face of the top MMA company in the world, he draws his focus from a special place--his family roots.

Velasquez's family is a huge source of inspiration for the champ -- his father an undocumented immigrant and his mother American-born -- helping drive his thirst for success in mixed martial arts (MMA) while his parents achieve their "American Dream."

"I always wanted to buy my parents a house. We moved from house to house growing up," said Velasquez when he talked to Latin Post.com this week in an exclusive interview. "My goal was always to buy them a house even though I didn't know what I wanted to growing up. Finally, last year, I managed to do that and buy them a house."

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is making a splashy debut in Mexico, holding UFC 180 at the Arena Ciudad de Mexico in Mexico City, and Velasquez will be front and center as the face of the company's push into that coveted market.

Velasquez will be defending his title against Fabricio Werdum on November 15.

"I wanted to fight down there for so long, and now that it's come true," says Velasquez to LatinPost.com. "It was definitely been a dream of mine."

Velasquez and Werdum will also coach opposing teams on the debut of "The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America," which will feature Latin American fighters. The show premieres on Fox Deportes in the U.S., Mexico's Televisa, and the UFC Fight Pass digital network Aug. 25.

Velasquez, who is of Mexican descent, defeated Junior Dos Santos in the last match of their memorable trilogy to win back the UFC Heavyweight title, winning the championship for the second time. Velasquez, who has a "Brown Pride" tattoo across his chest to commemorate his heritage, previously defeated former champion and current WWE superstar Brock Lesnar in 2010 for the title, overpowering Lesnar by a technical knockout.

Cain Velasquez vs Brock Lesnar highlights



UFC President Dana White has a lot riding on Velasquez in this venture into Mexico, having told reporters in the past that he would not even consider going into Mexico without the popular champion.

Velasquez is looking forward to defending his championship in Mexico, a market that White has been looking to break into for quite some time. In many ways, Velasquez's is the face of the Latino movement for the UFC as the company continues to expand its global presence.

"The UFC has grown a lot down there for a long time now, and now that we finally have an event down there, the public is excited about it," says Velasquez. "I think the show is going to make it that much more popular down there. I think the show is going to be a hit down there. It's just going to blow up there. There are fighters down that just need a little more. They need a few more MMA gyms to open up and we'll have a lot more fighters down there."

White, who said "we're literally riding him down to Mexico" during a recent media luncheon, is counting on Velasquez's growing popularity in Mexico to match the passionate fandom that Canadians showed former UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St-Pierre and Brazilians expressed for former UFC Middleweight champ Anderson "The Spider" Silva.

"TUF: Latin America" will also be an important component in the UFC's expansion into the market south of the border. The "TUF" series helped UFC attain mainstream popularity, with White having said in the past that the "TUF" final match between Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar of the inaugural season put the company on the map.

Fighters from Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Bolivia, Ecuador, Panama, Nicaragua, Chile, and Colombia were chosen to compete for the ultimate prize of a UFC contract for the winning fighter. Though Velasquez was hesitant about doing the show, the champion enjoyed working with young fighters breaking into the sport.

"The group of guys I got made my job easier because they were hungry to learn," says Velasquez. "They loved working out, they loved being there. For me, it was a great experience to help out the guys. My goal was just to better these guys, as far as technique-wise, as far as being a fighter, see what they had, what we could improve on."

While Velasquez is excited about defending his crown in front of his Mexico fans, his focus still remains on Werdum, a tough challenge for the champion. Werdum has taken on the some of the best fighters around the world -- including ending MMA all-time great Fedor Emelianenko's 28-fight unbeaten streak in 2010 via a submission using a triangle arm-bar in the first round to earn the victory. The champ knows what he must do, despite the excitement of competing in Mexico, to retain his title.

"Just put the pressure on him, and fight my style of fight, and that's it," says Velasquez, who wrestled for the Arizona State University Sun Devils, compiling a record of 86-17 and placing 5th in the country in 2005, and 4th in 2006 during his NCAA wrestling career. "He's one of the best on the ground and tough on his feet as well, but I believe in my skills as far as my stand-up -- my boxing and kickboxing -- and also, he can take it to the ground and I'll be ok."

Cain Velasquez Highlights

