Coach: Cain Velasquez Underwent Successful Back Surgery

Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez was scheduled to rematch fellow former champion Fabricio “Vai Cavalo” Werdum at last Friday’s (Dec. 30, 2016) UFC 207 from Las Vegas, Nevada, but he was pulled from the card after the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) refused to license him.

Leading up to the bout, Velasquez had made it clear that he was dealing with a back injury and that he had already scheduled a surgery for after the bout. After he told ESPN.com that he had trouble standing just days prior to the fight, however, the commission deemed it unsafe for him to compete.

That surgery that Velasquez had scheduled has now been completed, as his longtime head coach Javier Mendes recently told MMAFighting.com that it was successful and that the ex-champion could return to training next month:

“He had successful surgery on Wednesday,” Mendez said. “It was a minor surgery so he was walking right away. Only thing he has to do is wait until the incision heals before he can start working out. (It’ll take) about one month or less for the cut to heal.”

Velasquez last competed at July 9, 2016’s UFC 200, steamrolling through Travis Browne in the first round of their main card bout. His bout with Werdum was thought to be considered a title eliminator bout, so it should be interesting to see who the promotion schedules Velasquez against upon his return.

Stay tuned.