UFC heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez (9-0) has gone under the knife to repair a torn rotator cuff, he is currently recovering in hospital according to a member of his management company Zinkin Entertainment. The source noted on Thursday (Fighters Only Magazine) that the surgery “went really well” and at that time Velasquez was “still asleep in recovery.”
Velasquez damaged his right shoulder in his title fight with Brock Lesnar last October in the main event of UFC 121. Now that the surgery is complete, the heavyweight champ will undergo a long recovery and rehab period, which will likely sideline him for up to eight months.
The top heavyweight contender, Junior dos Santos, was to have fought for UFC gold next but with the champ sidelined the promotion found something else to keep him occupied.
Earlier this week UFC President Dana White named dos Santos and Lesnar as the coaches for the upcoming season of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality television series. Filming for “TUF 13″ begins at the end of this month, with episodes airing in March. Both dos Santos and Lesnar will meet in Vancouver in June at UFC 130, with the victor earning the #1 contender spot.