MMA
brettokamoto 10y

Velasquez on being "injury prone," Werdum

Popular responses in a Cain Velasquez word association game would probably fall in line with "champion," "dominant," "relentless," "wrestler," etc.

There’s an unfortunate association that might make the list as well: "Injured."

Velasquez, 32, is preparing for his third UFC title defense against Fabricio Werdum on Nov. 15 in Mexico City. It will mark his first appearance since October, due to a torn labrum in his left shoulder that required surgery.

The heavyweight champion is no stranger to the operating table. In fact, ask him just how many surgeries he’s had performed in his lifetime and it takes a second for him to recall them all. The answer he eventually arrives at is seven.

“One on the elbow, two on the knee, one on the right foot, one on the hand the two to the shoulder,” Velasquez told ESPN.com.

It does seem sometimes as if Velasquez is injured more often than he’s healthy. After he won his first UFC title in a first-round drubbing of Brock Lesnar in October 2010, a right shoulder injury postponed his first attempted defense for one year.

When he lost the belt in his return, to Junior dos Santos in November 2011, it was later revealed that, sure enough, he was nursing a knee injury during the fight. After recapturing the belt in 2012, Velasquez again missed time due to injury this year.

Even when he tries to avoid surgery, things work against him. Velasquez suffered the latest injury to his shoulder during a title defense against Dos Santos at UFC 166. An MRI indicated he might only have a partial tear and could simply rehab.

When that didn’t work, surgeons went in to repair Velasquez’s shoulder and found the labrum was past a half-tear -- far worse than initial MRIs had estimated.

“When I woke up, the doctor told me my shoulder was more than half-torn,” he said. “There was no way I could have avoided surgery. The MRI couldn’t really get a clear picture of it.”

At this point, is it fair to classify Velasquez -- “The Baddest Man in the World,” as the UFC like to promote its heavyweight champion -- as “injury prone?” And what is his take on what’s happened in the division in the 11 months since he’s fought?

Velasquez, who will headline the UFC’s Mexico debut, discussed that and more with ESPN.com.

ESPN: You’ve been through this before -- having to sit out for a year due to injury. What was the process like this time around?

Velasquez: I think it was less difficult this time because I had been through it before and I knew what to expect. There are plusses and minuses. One plus was that I got to be at home a little more. The minus, obviously, is I didn’t get to do the sport I love. I tried to keep positive and not push it too hard.

ESPN: All sports have athletes who, for one reason or another, can’t stay healthy. Are we there with you, yet? Do you think that’s fair or have you just been unlucky?

Velasquez: I really think it has to do with the way I train. If I’m hurt a little, I’m still going to train. I guess my head is pretty strong and I can push through pain, but it’s bad because it’s definitely messed up my body at times.

ESPN: Since October 2010, you have fought a full trilogy with Dos Santos and faced Antonio Silva twice. How nice is it to simply be preparing for someone new?

Velasquez: I guess when you put it that way, it is -- but for me, it doesn’t matter. As long as I’m a champion and fighting for the belt, it’s fine. I think Dos Santos earned a shot to fight me and then after I lost, we knew we would have to do it one more time. Then Silva, he got two big wins so it made sense to fight him a second time. As long as the fights make sense and guys earn their way to the title, it’s fine.

ESPN: Usually, when a champion sits out a year, there is a long list of potential guys to fight when he returns. If you beat Werdum, there really isn’t an obvious “next.” What do you think about the state of the division?

Velasquez: I think there will always be somebody to fight. For me, I focus on the guy I have now and I’m sure someone will pop up. That’s what I’m waiting and pretty much hoping for.

ESPN: As a champion, would you ever ask for a specific opponent?

Velasquez: It depends. If you’re the champion, you pretty much have to take the fights that come to you. I think everybody has to earn their sport and if they’re the No. 1 contender, that’s fine with me.

ESPN: Another thing that has happened in the sport during your absence are a few high-profile failed random drug tests. What are your thoughts on it and would you ever demand random drug testing ahead of one of your fights?

Velasquez: If I felt one of my opponents was dirty, then yeah. Why not? If we’re both doing it during camp, then definitely. I’m all for more testing. Keep it coming.

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