Cain Velasquez gives his side of the story on UFC 207 withdrawal

Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez posted a statement on his official Facebook page to explain his side of the story on the cancelation of his rematch with fellow ex-champ Fabricio Werdum at Friday’s UFC 207.

Velasquez (14-2 MMA, 12-2 UFC), ranked No. 2 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA heavyweight rankings, admitted he was perhaps “too transparent” in an interview where he disclosed ongoing back pain and his use of Cannabidiol spray to control symptoms, but maintained he was healthy enough to fight.

While not directly faulting the Nevada State Athletic Commission for pulling him from the bout, he ran down the series of events that led to his scratch from the event, including his efforts to assure the commission he was healthy after it was alerted of the interview.

As previously reported, Werdum (21-6-1 MMA, 9-3 UFC) will not fight at the pay-per-view event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. After his rep said he agreed to fight fellow ex-champ Fabricio Werdum for an immediate title shot and “other financial terms,” UFC President Dana White revealed today during a media scrum that Werdum asked for $800,000 and a cut of pay-per-view profits to take the fight, which the executive likened to a refusal (check out the video above to hear White’s thoughts on the Velasquez situation).

Here is Velasquez’s full statement:

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