The latest on Cain Velasquez.
Former UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez shocked fans on Friday night when he showed up at the end of SmackDown on Fox and attacked newly minted WWE Champion Brock Lesnar. But despite his involvement with WWE and taking part in a major angle, Velasquez tells ESPN that he has not yet signed with the company.
Velasquez is reportedly also in discussions with All Elite Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling, but is in "advanced talks" with WWE.
While Velasquez still has fights left on his UFC deal, MMAJunkie reports he has informed the UFC of his intention to withdraw from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) testing pool, which effectively signals his retirement from active MMA competition. UFC reportedly knew of Cain's appearance on SmackDown and gave him the "okay." Velasquez last fought in February, losing to Francis Ngannou in 26-seconds by TKO.
Velasquez told ESPN that right now, his focus is on pro wrestling. He made his pro wrestling debut at AAA Triplemania XXVII in August in a trios bout and received rave reviews for his performance. The UFC heavyweight worked a lucha libre style as opposed to a heavyweight MMA style most would expect.
With Velasquez attacking Lesnar on SmackDown, WWE looks to be setting up a rematch of their 2010 MMA fight, which Velasquez won in 4:12 by TKO. Dave Meltzer of MMAFighting reports the match could take place at WWE Crown Jewel 2019 on Oct. 31 or WrestleMania 36 in April 2020. Meltzer previously reported that WWE sources told him Cain would likely undergo knee surgery before making a long-term commitment.
Cain was sporting a knee brace during his SmackDown appearance.
You can see highlights of Cain's WWE debut by clicking here.
