Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez will be fighting for the first time in 31 months when he takes on Francis Ngannou later tonight (Sun., Feb. 17, 2019) at UFC on ESPN 1 from Phoenix, Arizona.
It will mark the first time UFC is featured on the big ESPN network, which is why the promotion picked a fighter such as Velasquez to lead the dance. Remember, Cain ushered in UFC on FOX when he squared off with Junior dos Santos back in 2011.
Velasquez, 36, hasn’t fought inside of the Octagon since taking out Travis Browne via TKO back at UFC 200. That fight was well over two years ago so fight fans are eager to see how the former heavyweight king looks in his return, especially against a straight-up killer like Ngannou.
In preparation for Velasquez’s triumphant return, UFC and ESPN have partnered up for a video promo showcasing the heavyweight’s career journey (shown in the above video player).
From the official YouTube description:
Relive Cain Velasquez’s journey back to the ring as he prepares to face off against Francis Ngannou, from defeating Brock Lesnar in 2010 to win the heavyweight title where he tore his rotator cuff and lost his first title defense, won it back but lost it again, as injuries continued to mount. In 2016 he decided to step away from the UFC and spend time with his family, stepping away from the sport for two and half years. Brett Okamoto narrates his journey back to the Octagon.
While Velasquez will likely experience some sort of cage rust later this evening in Phoenix he has all the ingredients to control Ngannou, put him on his back, and capture a huge win in his heavyweight return. Of course, “Predator” packs one of the meanest punches in the sport so Velasquez better be on his toes unless he wants to suffer his second career knockout loss.
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