Cain Velasquez 'wondering what the hold up is' with Junior dos Santos rematch

Life doesn't always afford us the opportunity to redeem ourselves. Many of the mistakes we make end up haunting us, offering no chance to set things straight, once and for all.

This also holds true for mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters, but every now and then, fate smiles and extends a much needed olive branch.

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heavyweight fighter Cain Velasquez has been given such an opportunity, as it was recently announced he'll get a second crack at Junior dos Santos, who brutally knocked him out when the two fought for the first time at UFC on Fox 1 in Anaheim, Calif., on Nov. 12, 2011.

The real question is: When will the fight ever get scheduled? For months now, speculation has run rampant regarding which card will host the rematch.

After the jump, we'll hear from Velasquez (via his interview with "Inside MMA") about his current health status, as well as when he thinks the fight will finally go down:

"Right now, I'm just getting ready and waiting for a date. We don't really know what's going on with the dos Santos thing. The speculation that I was hurt -- I got an x-ray to show people that I'm not. There's speculation that he's hurt, maybe. I dunno what's going on. I'm just getting ready and waiting for a date for me and him to fight."

Since these two big-time heavyweights threw down the first time, Velasquez has been able to re-think his strategy and what he did wrong in defeat:

"The thing with the last fight and this one, this time, what we're gonna do different is actually attack him and actually fight him. We didn't do that last time. I didn't do what I was supposed to do, with the gameplan, and I definitely paid for it. I'm not making the mistake again with him."

He definitely feels like he'll have a better strategy going into his second go-round, but he's still not over the initial setback. According to Velasquez, it's a moment he's re-lived since last November:

"It's always playing in my head. He's my one loss, and I wanna go back and avenge it. Just knowing what you did wrong, I mean, I definitely look back at the fight. I just have to learn from it and move on."

So, when will this second battle of the behemoths take place? As far as Velasquez is concerned, your guess is just as good as his:

"They really haven't said anything as of right now. I was just wondering what the hold up was. They thought that I was hurt, and I went ahead and kinda quieted those things down. I'm just waiting for a date."

Some of the speculation that has been bandied about is that the UFC is dragging its feet because they'd prefer to see "Cigano" fight Alistair Overeem when he returns in December.

He's heard the chatter, but he feels like he is the name that makes the most sense, because he can be ready as soon as they need him to be:

"I think, possibly, if they're waiting for that match-up, but that's in December. I'm ready now."

If Velasquez were to get passed over, it wouldn't be the first time Dana White and the UFC had gone back on what they originally promised.

Be that as it may, there's no one else on Cain's radar but "JDS:"

"No. He's the only one. He's only one I want to fight with."

What say you, Maniacs? Are you tired of the UFC taking their sweet time nailing down a date for this fight? Is there any chance Velasquez will get cheated out of a title shot in favor of "The Reem?"

Sound off!