The recovery process for any athlete can be grueling and hard to swallow, for the most part.
Since January, UFC heavyweight champion, Cain Velasquez has been nursing a shoulder injury he suffered during his title bout against Brock Lesnar at UFC 122, ultimately forcing him out of action.
Velasquez, who participated in the “Super 7” presentation last week, spoke about the condition of his injury.
“I had a torn labrum and they had to reattach it,” Velasquez told UFC commentator, Joe Rogan.
“It takes so long because of the shoulder, they said not a lot of blood gets to the shoulder, so it takes a while for it to heal.”
Velasquez, who carries an undefeated record of 9-0-0, commented on his rehabilitation and said his main intention is to regain the strength and motion in his shoulder. Velasquez added that doctors have acknowledged his impressive recovery thus far and he expects to resume training under his doctors’ orders.
“I have all the faith in the doctors that the UFC provides, so once he says, ‘100 percent,’ then I’m ready to go,” he said.
As far as when the heavyweight champion will return to the Octagon, reports have suggested he will make his first title defense in October. In the meantime, Velasquez will wait for either Brock Lesnar or Junior Dos Santos, as they will battle to determine the No. 1 contender for Velasquez’s title.
When asked on the possibility of a potential rematch with Lesnar, Velasquez doesn’t expect the former heavyweight champion to be an easy opponent.
“The competitor that he is, you’re always going to get a better guy, a better Brock Lesnar. He is going to keep improving, just like all these guys are, everybody in this sport is going to keep evolving, the sport is going to keep evolving so you can never take anybody lightly at all,” he said.
Velasquez also commented on the acquisition of Strikeforce and praised the addition of heavyweight talent such as Alistair Overeem and Fabricio Werdum.
In regards to the talent the UFC can acquire and bring forth, Velasquez said he is eager to fight top competition, in order to determine the best heavyweight in mixed martial arts.
“I’m glad that the UFC finally can, later down the road, match everybody up together, so that the fans and me can have a true number one champion.”
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