Cain Velasquez Says Knee Injury – Not Punch – Caused UFC Phoenix Loss

Cain Velasquez credits his latest loss under the UFC banner to his knee giving out and not a punch.

The former title challenger beat former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez in the headliner of UFC on ESPN 1 by KO in just 26 seconds. This fight took place on Sunday, February 17, 2019, at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona.

The finish of the fight saw Velasquez get caught with a flurry of strikes. But his knee gave out, forcing him to fall to the canvas in pain. Ngannou finished him on the ground with strikes. The fight only lasted 26 seconds.

After the fight, Velasquez made it known at the post-fight press conference that he wasn’t dropped due to a strike but rather his knee giving out.

“He didn’t even, like, touch me,” Velasquez told reporters including MMAjunkie. “It was just the knee. As soon as I felt the knee buckle, it was like I couldn’t believe that happened, and that was it. The ref saw my knee buckle. His job is to make sure we’re 100 percent safe, and he did that. The ref did the correct job tonight.”

“Knowing what I did the past three years and two months getting ready for this camp, I felt ready,” he said. “The octagon was the place I needed to be, and I felt great coming back. I felt great in there with him, and again, the freak accident of the knee popping out, it’s frustrating.”