It appears former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heavyweight kingpin Cain Velasquez is going to need a rebound win before the promotion rubber stamps another 265-pound title fight.
That’s according to UFC Tonight, which has Velasquez paired off with top contender Travis Browne for UFC 200, the upcoming pay-per-view (PPV) booked for this July inside MGM-AEG Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada (more on that here).
UFC has yet to comment on the match up.
Velasquez (13-2) is currently riding the pine after back surgery, which booted him from his Fabricio Werdum rematch earlier this year. “Vai Cavalo” went on to get Stipe Miocic at UFC 198 while the longtime American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) staple gets back into fighting shape.
If he can’t be ready by July, it might be time to have “the talk.”
Browne (18-3-1) rebounded from a technical knockout loss to Andrei Arlovski by playing billiards with Matt Mitrione at UFC Fight Night 81. Unfortunately for “Meathead,” his eye was the 8-ball and the Hawaiian’s fingers were the cue stick. Nevertheless, it goes down as a win for “Hapa.”
Taking one over Velasquez could lead to a future title shot.
No bouts are official for UFC 200 at this time; however, you can expect that to change sooner, rather than later.
Stay tuned.