 Show When Francis Ngannou knocked out Cain Velasquez at UFC on ESPN 1 in February, no one knew how it happened. Some said it was the uppercut by Ngannou that ended it. While others said it was his knee-buckling that ended the fight. There were no clear answers. To make matter worse, after the fight, Francis Ngannou said it was the knockout, while Cain Velasquez blamed the knee.
“Going in 100 percent healthy. 100 percent ready and just to have this freak accident, I can’t even believe it. It’s just hard,” Velasquez said on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show. “That’s sports, that’s what we do. That’s what happens sometimes. It’s just really frustrating because the fire in me is strong, stronger than ever. In camp, great camp, great camp. And then this happens.” He later added that it was the knee and that he beat himself not Ngannou beating him.
Now, however, Cain Velasquez is walking back on it. He now admits he was knocked out and it was not the knee injury that ended the fight against Francis Ngannou. “The second punch when I went in for that takedown, the one that was kind of behind the ear, I was out on my feet, and I didn’t know it at the time. I was out on my feet and as I wake up, I’m falling down, and then kind of the pain from the knee on the way down is what woke me up. So, I was out on my feet on the way down, the knee woke me up,” said Velasquez. “I thought oh my knee gave out like a freak accident.
For now, Cain Velasquez is doing pro wrestling but is open to an MMA return as he says he still has three fights left on his UFC contract. About Post AuthorThe ScrapThe Scrap is a combat sports news hub dedicated to bringing you creative MMA, Pro Wrestling, Bare Knuckle, and Boxing content. We highlight the indie and regional scenes as passionately as the big leagues. Continue ReadingCain Velasquez’s return to the octagon ended in heartbreaking fashion just 26 seconds after his fight against Francis Ngannou began on Sunday night. Velasquez, the former two-time UFC heavyweight champion, had been out of action since he knocked out Travis Brown on July 9, 2016, at UFC 200. His fight against Ngannou, which served as the main event of UFC on ESPN 1, was supposed to reestablish him as a contender in the division. Instead, it left everyone with more questions about his future. The fight, which took place at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona, ended quickly, unexpectedly and for Velasquez, painfully. With 20 seconds ticked off the clock, Velasquez shot for a takedown against the cage, when he did so, Ngannou seemed to land a short uppercut on the inside, at the same time, Velasquez’s knee buckled and he tumbled to the mat. The helpless former champ then covered his head while Ngannou looked to land strikes on his downed opponent. The referee, Jason Herzog, seeing that Velasquez was not going to recover, waved the fight off. The stoppage came at the 26-second mark of the first stanza.
Velasquez arrived at the post-fight press conference in a burgundy sports coat. As soon as he sat down at the dais, he reached for the microphone and said, “Let’s start, I’m ready whenever you guys are.” Unsurprisingly, the first question Velasquez fielded was about his injury. “I just can’t believe that happened,” said Velasquez. “I had a great camp coming in. Truly, everything I said before (the fight) about how strong I felt, that was all true. I felt great out there, relaxed and then taking that one step with my left foot, something popped and then when I tried to take another step, it gave out on me, my knee just gave out on me. I can’t even believe that happened.” “Going in (I was) 100 percent healthy, 100 percent ready and just to have this freak accident, I can’t even believe it. It’s just hard. But that’s sports. That’s what we do. That’s what happens sometimes. It’s just really frustrating.” The former champion said that the uppercut wasn’t what put him down or ended the fight. He blamed his body for the quick finish. “It was just the knee, yeah,” said Velasquez. “He didn’t even touch me. It was just the knee. As soon as I felt the knee buckle, I couldn’t believe that happen and then that was it.” Velasquez said he was unsure of the extent of the injury or how long it would keep him out of action, but he said he felt like he belonged back in the octagon and that everything felt great until his knee betrayed him. Velasquez acknowledged that with the way things turned out for him that he will have even more questions to answer the next time he sets foot inside the octagon. He also said he was willing and able to answer those questions. “I guess I got a lot to prove and I’m very capable of doing that,” said Velasquez. What happened to Cain Velasquez vs Ngannou?PHOENIX -- Cain Velasquez's highly anticipated return from a 2.5-year layoff proved to be short-lived, as Francis Ngannou knocked out the former two-time champion in just 26 seconds. Ngannou (13-3) dropped Velasquez with a short right uppercut just moments into Sunday's UFC Fight Night main event.
Did Ngannou tear his ACL?Ngannou tore his MCL and injured his ACL less than a month before fighting Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 in January. The knockout artist was forced to wrestle his way to victory against his former training partner Gane because of his injuries, winning a decision for the first time in his MMA career.
Why was Francis Ngannou stripped of belt?Things were pretty clouded to begin with going into the fight with Gane as Ngannou's relationship with the promotion hit an all-time low. So much so, UFC boss Dana White snubbed Ngannou by opting not to enter the cage and put the belt around his waist after his win over Gane, as is customary at title fights in the UFC.
What happened to Ngannou?UFC champ Francis Ngannou to undergo knee surgery, out for 9 months. According to a breaking news report from ESPN, UFC Heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou is set to miss at least 9 months as he scheduled to undergo knee surgery. Back in January, he made a massive defense of his title against Ciryl Gane during UFC 270 ...
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What happened Cain Velasquez vs Ngannou?
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