It appears Cain Velasquez is in no rush to return to the Octagon.
The former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heavyweight title holder was going to compete against Fabricio Werdum in a rematch at UFC 207 back in Dec. 2016. Velasquez was pulled from the card due to back issues.
With news of Ben Rothwell’s removal from the UFC 211 card due to a potential violation of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), Werdum is in need of an opponent. Many fans have expressed interest in Velasquez making his return to the Octagon in May to face “Vai Cavalo.”
American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) coach Javier Mendez told Submission Radio that fans shouldn’t count on Velasquez competing at UFC 211 (via MMAMania.com):
“He’s been more enjoying time with his wife and he did an AirBnb, those rentals that you rent. He’s got one in Arizona that he’s fixing up to rent, so he’s been doing that and spending time with his wife and his child. He’s been doing more family stuff. He comes in the gym on a rare occasion, but he’s slowly coming back into it. He’s not jumping on board to do anything, he’s just taking his time. I know that May (13) is something they’re looking at, but realistically Cain is not gonna fight on short notice. He’s not gonna fight without an eight-week training camp. So I look at it like if he’s hardly ever coming into the gym now because he has other business things he has to take care of, I don’t see him fighting (soon). I see him fighting two times this year, but I don’t see him fighting in May because of the time frame.”
Velasquez hasn’t fought since July 2016 when he finished Travis Browne in the first round of their bout at UFC 200. He has gone 5-1 in his last six outings.
