Cain Velasquez considers two-year layoff a ‘luxury’

Bloodyelbow.com

For most fighters, being forced to the sidelines for a period of two years can be greatly disappointing, to say the least. Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez, however, is not one of them.

Speaking recently to MMAjunkie during a media tour in Arizona, the 36-year-old American Kickboxing Academy standout shared how his layoff gave him the chance to make up for lost time with his loved ones.

“I’ve had some injuries throughout my career. I got that all squared away and all healed up, and I extended my family, as well,” he said. “We have a 1-year-old boy. I wanted to be there for the whole pregnancy, for the whole first year. It was kind of hard when we had our daughter. … There was a lot of stuff that I missed that I didn’t like missing. So with the time off, I just got to be with my family.

“There isn’t a lot of people who can take time off for two years, but I had that luxury, and I wanted to be there for my family, which to me was most important. I’m glad I did it. I love just having the time to be there for them.”

He may have been more of a doting father in the last two years, but that does not mean that Velasquez was not sharpening his skills in his absence.

“We’re always trying to evolve. This sport is still so new. We’re trying out different things and trying to get new tools every time – things that fans and also fighters haven’t seen before from me, so I’m always working on that. I’m always working to improve.”

Velasquez will be making his MMA return against Francis Ngannou at UFC on ESPN 1 on February 17^th in Phoenix, Arizona.