Being the heavyweight champion used to mean something back in the day, but in a budding sport like MMA, Cain Velasquez is simply another face in the crowd.
Conspiracy theories have been abounding since EA Sports released its list of 16 fighters pegged with a chance to join light heavyweight champ Jon Jones on the cover of the new UFC video game.
With Jones’ mug shot already plastered on the front cover, fans have been given an opportunity to vote from a chosen pool of fighters a second individual to make gaming history. Surprisingly, Velasquez, the reigning and defending UFC heavyweight champion, didn’t make the list.
Minus interim bantamweight champ Renan Barao, every other UFC champion’s mug can be found as a hopeful in the 16-man bracket. Even the self-proclaimed people’s champ Chael Sonnen’s name is listed.
Early speculation indicated that perhaps Velasquez’s exclusion had something to do with the ‘Brown Pride’ tattoo displayed vividly across his chest. In speaking with the media in a conference call Tuesday, which was attended by Bleacher Report’s Jeremy Botter, the UFC President shot down the ridiculous conspiracy generated by the public.
“Oh, hell no. Nobody has a problem [with that]. Only idiots on the Internet have a problem with that,” said White during the media call, which can be listened to in its entirety on MMAFighting.com.
If not for the tattoo, what other possible reason could there be for the heavyweight champ and one of the UFC’s biggest stars being excluded from a chance to grace the cover of the first ever EA Sports UFC game?
White continues:
“I would like Cain to be in there, but I think there were other reasons for Cain not coming to a deal. I just think that Cain felt that he’s the heavyweight champion, and he doesn’t want to be in a vote to see if he should be on the cover.
I think that was his [mindset], and what am I going to do about that? Am I going to disagree with him? He’s like, ‘I’m the heavyweight champion. I’ve got to be voted on whether I should be on the cover of the game? The heavyweight champ? If you don’t think I should be, then I don’t want to be in a vote.’ I can’t blame him for that.”
Throughout November, fans can go to UFC.com and vote on which fighter they would like to see join Jones on the front cover of the new UFC video game, which is slated for a multi-platform Spring 2014 release.
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