Cain Velasquez has surgery, says he can train 100 percent in five weeks
Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velaquez, who pulled out of a title fight with champion Fabricio Werdum that was scheduled for Saturday at the MGM Grand, reported on his Facebook page Wednesday that his back surgery went well and that he's already doing light training.
Velasquez said he's been told he'll be able to train at 100 percent in about four to five weeks. If that's the case, given an eight-week training camp, that would put his return to competition somewhere in the late April, early May time frame.
Velasquez announced on Jan. 24 that he would have to pull out of UFC 196, which was scheduled for Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden. The UFC immediately named Stipe Miocic to replace him, but the next day, Werdum pulled out, citing injuries as well.
That prompted the UFC to take the fight off of pay-per-view and no longer refer to it as UFC 196. Instead, it will be a UFC Fight Night on Saturday, headlined by Johny Hendricks against Stephen Thompson, and it will air on Fox Sports 1. The Conor McGregor-Rafael dos Anjos bout on March 5 in Las Vegas will now be listed as UFC 196.
Velasquez posted the following statement to Facebook on Wednesday:
"I wanted to update you all on how my injury has been progressing.
"First off, I want to thank you all for your amazing support. Your messages and your support have really helped me and my family through a tough time.
"I had orthoscopic surgery on Monday morning to remove some bone spurs that were pinching my sciatic nerve. The surgery was a complete success and I can’t tell you how well I’m feeling already.
"My doctors have recommended I take it easy for now but can begin light training in about two weeks. They also think I’ll be able to train at 100% in about four to five weeks. I’ll follow their orders but I can’t wait to get back in there."
Velasquez's career has been beset by injuries, and he's only fought once in the last 27 months, a loss to Werdum in Mexico CIty at UFC 188 on June 13.
