The UFC president confirms that Cain Velasquez will undergo back surgery with an expected recovery of four weeks.
Ex-heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez has been forced to sit on the sidelines again after suffering a back injury in training. The former two-time champ, who dethroned Brock Lesnar in 2010 and reclaimed the belt against Junior dos Santos at UFC 155, has been riddled with injuries since 2014.
Velasquez eventually returned against Fabricio Werdum at UFC 188 but was notably exhausted by the 2nd round. The Brazilian snagged a guillotine choke to seize the title but an immediate rematch was booked after many blamed Velasquez’ loss on the high altitude of Mexico City.
Werdum vs. Velasquez II was set for UFC 196 but the Mexican-American announced his withdrawal from the bout last week.
Dana White recently revealed that the 33-year-old will undergo back surgery to repair an injured disc and is expected to be out of action for around 4 weeks.
“Cain has got problems with a disc in his back, and he’s actually going to have surgery,” White said, per Opie Radio. “The good part is it’s not going to be long. He’s going to have the surgery and will probably need four weeks to recover. So that’s good news.”
Shortly after Velasquez’ withdrawal, heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum announced his departure from the PPV after citing his own injuries. Stipe Miocic was expected to challenge Werdum for the championship as a late-replacement but the pay-per-view was shifted to Fox Sports 1 for a non-title fight between Johny Hendricks and Stephen Thompson.
FS1 will broadcast UFC Fight Night 82 on February 6th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
(Transcripts via Mike Bohn of MMA Junkie)