Velasquez ruled medically ineligible, out of UFC 207
Fight fans received a lump of coal in their collective stockings on Saturday.
Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez has been deemed medically unfit to compete by the Nevada Athletic Commission and will not be allowed to fight Fabricio Werdum at T-Mobile Arena on Dec. 30.
NAC executive director Bob Bennett confirmed to the Review-Journal an ESPN report.
UFC officials released a statement late Saturday afternoon confirming Velasquez had been removed from the card.
Velasquez, who tweeted on Saturday afternoon he was unaware of any change to the status of his fight, told ESPN.COM last week he had scheduled back surgery for the week after the fight and was managing the pain with prescription Cannabidiol.
Bennett said the commission acted in the best interest of the fighter’s safety in exercising it’s authority to not grant Velasquez a license to compete based not only on his statements, but a variety of factors that included a conversation with Velasquez.
“Based on medical records, interviews and the best judgment of chairman Anthony Marnell, attorney general J. Brin Gibson, the executive director’s office and our physicians, in an effort to protect the health and safety of the athletes, it’s been determined Cain Velasquez is unfit to fight,” a statement from the NAC read.
“The financial incentive for fighters to compete is strongly compelling, and it is the responsibility and obligation of this commission to intervene when excessive risks are evident. It’s obvious Mr. Velasquez is physically compromised, and competing would place him in significant physical risk.”
The heavyweight rematch was supposed to take place on the main card of UFC 207 on Friday, an event scheduled to be headlined by a women’s bantamweight title bout between champion Amanda Nunez and former champ Ronda Rousey.
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-277-8028. Follow @adamhilllvrj on Twitter.