Former UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez is healing up well from back surgery, and according to a report from UFC Tonight on Wednesday, he’s hoping to fight before July.
Velasquez lost out on a title rematch with Fabricio Werdum by virtue of the injury, and the man who took his title from him is now expected to face Stipe Miocic in May. He’s coming along well after surgery, and his teammate Daniel Cormier says he’ll be re-joining camp in a couple weeks to help him prepare for Jon Jones in April.
The back injury that took him out of what was supposed to be UFC 196 last month was just the latest in a long line of setbacks. Should he fight by June, it would be just his second fight in over two and a half years.
Penick’s Analysis: With Werdum fighting Miocic, Alistair Overeem fighting Andrei Arlovski, and a number of other fighters booked, there’s not a clear, sensible option for Velasquez in June or July right now, though there are a few names the UFC could consider. Regardless, it’s for the best right now that he’ll need to win a fight to get back into contention, because the immediate rematch wasn’t necessary to begin with.
[Velasquez art by Grant Gould (c) MMATorch.com]
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