Cain Velasquez's next fight was destiny deprived, according to the champion himself, but the UFC heavyweight king is not worried about the effects of ring rust from two years of absence that he may possibly feel upon return.
While Cain Velasquez's next fight date is uncertain as of the moment, the UFC heavyweight champion was slated to headline the UFC 180 card against Fabricio Werdum this weekend, in his family's home country of Mexico.
It was also his supposed return to action after more than a yearlong lay-off. Velasquez last saw action in October 2013 against former champion Junior Dos Santos. Velasquez did pick up a fifth round TKO victory, en route to his second straight title defense.
Cain Velasquez's next fight at UFC 180 was a milestone for the UFC, as it is the company's inaugural event in Mexico. These reasons altogether made it more disappointing for the current heavyweight king.
"It felt like something was destined, you know what I mean. Like, this is where I'm destined to be, I'm destined to fight on this card, and it just didn't turn out that way," Velasquez said in his appearance on Monday's edition of The MMA Hour. "So it was just kind of devastating to me."
Velasquez was forced to the sidelines after injuring his MCL during training. While he had already undergone a successful surgery, he is facing almost two years of absence, given his target return in March 2015.
The absence from competition for this long period of time is more often than not a deterrent for most fighters. The effects of ring rust, or a decline in skill due to the long lay-off usually takes competitors a relatively long period of time to shake off.
But the reigning UFC heavyweight champion is not worried about it at all, as he is confident about his attitude towards training and keeping himself in shape.
"No, because when I train, I train well," Velasquez confidently said. "I think if something's wrong with me, I just kinda work through it. That's my mentality."
"So, you know, again it's part of the sport," Velasquez continued, speaking about rehabilitating from injuries in MMA. "We all go through it. I might've gone through it more than most, but I'm going to keep doing it."
