Coach: Cain Velasquez Back ‘100 Percent’ Barring Severe Injury

Cain Velasquez’s coach Javier Mendez is certain that UFC fans haven’t seen the last of the Mexican-American star.

Velasquez’s career was brought into question following his recent outing. He was finished by Francis Ngannou in the first round of their main event meeting at UFC on ESPN 1. There was some controversy as to whether or not the finish was the result of a knee injury or an uppercut.

Speaking with Submission Radio, Mendez confirmed that, barring the severity of Velasquez’s knee injury, he will “100 percent” return to the Octagon:

“If the knee is not severe, and it’s only a few months, he’s back 100%” Mendez said. “He’s still goddamn hungry. He’s not gonna let it go like that. I wouldn’t let him go like that if it’s not severe.

“But if it’s severe, then the decision: him, and his family, and his wife, they’ll have to go through it first, and then they can let me in on it. It’s their decision. But if it’s not severe, then I’m going to have an input in that one.

“Because I’m gonna say, ‘No, no, f**ker. You ain’t stopping because of this.’ But if it’s potentially worse, then I’m staying out of that. That’s a family decision, and that’s between him and his family, not me.”

Velasquez’s loss to Ngannou was his first fight back in over two years. It was also only the third loss of his professional mixed martial arts (MMA) career.

His last fight was a first-round TKO win over Travis Browne at UFC 200. Velasquez is a two-time heavyweight champ who has proven to be one of the best heavyweights the sport has ever seen. If he does decide to retire soon, he’ll still go down as one of the greats.