UFC's HEAVYWEIGHT KING CAIN VELASQUEZ RETURNS TO ACTION
By Todd Martin, LA Times
In Oct. 2013, Cain Velasquez was on top of the world. The soft spoken and fiercely determined UFC heavyweight champion had finished his trilogy with the second best heavyweight in the world, Brazil’s Junior Dos Santos. Dos Santos is the only man to ever defeat Velasquez.
In their third fight, Velasquez destroyed his top career rival with overwhelming pressure and cemented his status as the top heavyweight of his generation. There was serious discussion as to whether Velasquez was now MMA’s best all time heavyweight, passing even the legendary Russian Fedor Emelianenko.
Velasquez hasn’t fought since.
A fight between Velasquez and top challenger/now interim heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum was initially delayed in order to film and air the first season of Ultimate Fighter: Latin America. The payoff was to come in November 2014 at the UFC’s first event in Mexico, UFC 180. Unfortunately, Velasquez suffered a torn meniscus and sprained MCL, forcing him to withdraw from the fight less than a month out. After a lengthy rehabilitation process, Velasquez will finally return to action this Saturday night at UFC 188. Following the nearly two year layoff, he will seek to remind fans of what a dominant force he was before his unfortunate hiatus.
