Cain Velasquez needs to stop whining about the Interim championship being fought over at UFC 180 on Saturday November 15th. The injured UFC heavyweight champion was supposed to fight in Mexico City against Fabricio Werdum, but after getting injured on October 21, 2014, it was announced that Velasquez pulled out of the bout due to a torn meniscus and sprained MCL in his right knee.
On Thursday at a media scrum Cain let his bitter feelings out when asked about the upcoming interim title fight with Werdum and his replacement Mark Hunt.
It’s the interim belt, you know. It’s the interim belt. We’re going to fight for the real one coming up. So I don’t think too much into it. When I have my chance to fight, we’ll fight for the real one.
“That’s how I view it. Because it’s the interim belt. Interim belt, interim champion. Not the champion.
Here’s the deal Cain, the UFC heavyweight championship is one of if not THE biggest PPV draws and you are injured. The belt has not been defended since the unforgivable date of October 19, 2013. That’s over a year and truthfully no one knows when you will return.
The fans deserve a champion, an active one. That belt means more to the fans than it does to you and it needs to be defended at least twice a year. No one likes a belt to sit idle with a sidelined champion, especially the other fighters in the division. Like I said, it’s been over a year and will probably be at least be a total of 18 months before you step inside the Octagon again to face the interim champion to unify them. It’s not fair to the fighters or the fans, period.
PPV numbers jump when the heavyweights fight for a title. Big guys beating each other up on average outsells little guys doing the same and it has almost always been that way. For Velasquez to think only of himself is not the sign of a fighting champion. A company man, a fighting champion would be very excited about the prospect of a big time bout to unify the interim and actual UFC heavyweight championships, and the payday that will come for both of them.
Cain, you are holding the title hostage and holding potential sponsorships that come with it at bay for deserving contenders. Being the champion almost always means more money from sponsors, and more endorsement deals. You are a vacuum right now and stopping other athletes from reaching the top spot and all of its perks.
The sidelined champion sports a controversial tattoo of “Brown Pride” celebrating his Hispanic heritage. A big fight in Mexico City would have been a dream come true for him, and he was admittedly disappointed.
(I’m) just very disappointed in general. Definitely disappointed. It’s one of my dreams to fight here, and not being to do it, it sucks.
Velasquez is a stud in The Octagon, but he needs to be quiet about the UFC being forced to put a title in play at heavyweight. Cain, defend your title, or be quiet and let the other heavyweights move forward since you are unable to.
5thround.com reported the following a short time ago today.
If reigning heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez can’t shake the pesky injury bug and get back in the octagon by March, UFC president Dana White said he might be forced to pull the Dominick Cruz card on him.