Cain Velasquez’s coach dismisses possible UFC return: ‘He’s wrestling’
On Wednesday’s Luke Thomas Show on SiriusXM, American Kickboxing Academy head coach Javier Mendez said that former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez won’t be coming back to the Octagon.
“He’s wrestling,” Mendez, Velasquez’s longtime coach, said.
The 37-year-old was released in late-April during the recent round of WWE cuts after doing two matches, a quick defeat to then-WWE Champion Brock Lesnar at the Saudi Arabia Crown Jewel event on October 31st, and a tag match with Humberto Carillo against Gallows & Anderson on a November 30th house show in Mexico City, Mexico.
After the Lesnar match, he disappeared off SmackDown. It was reported by our Dave Meltzer that he likely needed knee surgery.
As of this point, Velasquez hasn’t signed with any promotion or spoken publicly about the release or his plans for when he would like to return.
When he signed with WWE in the fall, Velasquez announced his retirement from MMA. His spent 13 years in the sport, winning the UFC heavyweight title twice. However, injuries ruined the last six years of that career, limiting him to just three fights over that span.
He then turned to pro wrestling in 2019, signing a multi-match deal with AAA, impressing many with his skills despite his size and experience level. He drew interest from both WWE and AEW before signing with the former.
Since 2011, Josh has been a contributing editor to Wrestling Observer/F4WOnline.com and also hosts the Punch-Out podcast. He has also written for Fight Magazine, Bloody Elbow, Bleacher Report, and other websites. He's a 2000 graduate of the University of Maine, worked in pro sports, and once was an indie ring announcer.