Javier Mendez: I Don’t Know If Cain Velasquez Will Be Able To Return By November
When UFC on FOX 11’s main event was over last Saturday night (April 19, 2014) in Orlando, Florida, No. 2-ranked UFC heavyweight Fabricio “Vai Cavalo” Werdum had put together a thoroughly one-sided destruction of previous No. 3-ranked challenger Travis “Hapa” Browne, a man who had won his previous three bouts with thunderous “Knockout of the Night”-winning performances.
The victory put Werdum in line for a title shot at UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez’ belt, a fight that is rumored to take place at the UFC’s first-ever card in Mexico sometime this fall. The booking rests on Velasquez’ recovery from shoulder surgery, so there is no set date or location as of yet.
Today, Javier Mendez, Velasquez’ head coach at American Kickboxing Academy in California, stopped by “The MMA Hour” to discuss Werdum’s effort. Like many, Mendez was wholly surprised at “Vai Cavalo’s” improved striking:
“Fabricio weathered the storm, and I thought he did an incredible job. He looked very impressive. It’s good; it excited me because we have our work to do, we can’t underestimate him any bit because the improvement in the stand-up is almost night and day from his last fight.”
Velasquez undoubtedly has his work cut out for him after Werdum’s unexpected showing. When asked if he thought Werdum would pull out the victory, Mendez gave an honest response:
“Uh, no. I thought he could win, but I was like everybody else, I thought it would be on the ground. I didn’t really give him a big chance in the stand-up; no, not at all.”
Mendez moved on to discuss the champ’s chances against Werdum. Not surprisingly, conversation shifted to Werdum’s all-word grappling game, his perceived area of advantage against Velasquez. However, Mendez noted that he isn’t worried about the champ’s skills on the mat:
“I think a lot of people underestimate Cain’s jiu-jitsu; he is a legit black belt. So me, I’m not afraid of Cain going to the ground with anybody, especially in MMA. He’s got good ground; he’s good everywhere.”
The issue of Velasquez’ shoulder injury obviously arose, but Mendez had sparse details about the champ’s recovery:
“I don’t really know. About two weeks ago, the doctor gave him the permission to be able to use his right hand, so I trained with him right hand and then right kick, because he couldn’t do nothing with his left. So we trained, and I’ll you what, he was as motivated as the first day I ever had him. The hunger is still there, the drive to excel and improve is still there, so I’m excited about the outcome in November, if he’s healthy, against Fabricio.”
That doesn’t sound like the most confident endorsement from Mendez, making the champion’s comeback sound a bit cloudy and uncertain at the current time. Mendez said he could not deem Velasquez’ slated November return as concrete:
“No, I don’t know. I will know when the doctor gives him the final clearance. We’re on track, but I can’t say now because he has not got the final clearance.”
The news could be a lot better concerning Velasquez’ shoulder injury, an issue he’s dealt with before. Velasquez famously rushed back from shoulder surgery after winning the title in October 2010, losing his belt to a first round Junior dos Santos knockout at UFC on FOX 1 in November 2011.
He’s not likely to make that same mistake twice, but the UFC can use all of the big draws it can get after injuries have ravaged their late spring/early summer schedule.
With his fighting future a bit murky, will Velasquez make it back this year to put on a groundbreaking title defense in Mexico?
