GOIANIA, BRAZIL
UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez is on the mend, rehabbing an injury to his left shoulder, but some good news: he won't require surgery, which is likely to hasten his return to the cage.
UFC president Dana White told FOX Sports on Saturday that doctors ruled out surgery. Velasquez had two MRIs done but it was determined that rehabbing the joint will be the best option forward for him.
When asked if Mexico is still the target destination for Velasquez's return, White said, "definitely," although the timeframe for it is unclear. "We're still working on figuring out the date," he said.
Velasquez injured the shoulder during his successful UFC 166 title defense against Junior dos Santos, although he wasn't quite sure how it happened.
Whenever the 31-year-old is ready to go, Fabricio Werdum (17-5-1) is queued up as the top contender. Werdum is coming off a three-fight win streak, including a submission win over Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in June.
