After more than a year away from the Octagon, Cain Velasquez is back in the heavyweight conversation with a first-round TKO win over Travis Browne on the main card at UFC 200 on Saturday.
Bleacher Report MMA tweeted the official result:
Your official result: Cain Velasquez annihilates Travis Browne by TKO (wood chipper), 4:57, Rd. 1. #UFC200
— Bleacher Report MMA (@BR_MMA) July 10, 2016
Looking to bounce back from his last outing, Velasquez immediately looked like himself in the first round. He used his relentless aggression to pin Browne against the fence and overwhelm him with strikes. When the two broke apart, Velasquez landed shots that continually wobbled Browne.
Eventually, Browne's chin broke down, and Velasquez swarmed him on the ground to force the referee to stop the fight at the 4:57 mark in the first round.
It was a return to championship form for Velasquez, but Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com took it a step further:
Better than vintage. Rejuvenated. Looks incredible. https://t.co/QcwXLdKkE8
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) July 10, 2016
Earning a win over Browne was crucial for Velasquez's return as a heavyweight contender. The former champion—who looked as dominant as possible while beating Junior dos Santos and Antonio Silva in four fights between 2012 and 2013—took the type of beating from Fabricio Werdum in his last fight that makes you question how he'll recover.
As it turns out, Velasquez bounced back like a champion. The 33-year-old returned with a victory over the No. 7-ranked Browne, and that should set up the opportunity for another marquee fight soon.
The question now becomes whether Velasquez can climb the mountain to become champion again.
Although his loss to Werdum was one-sided, he's still just one fight removed from being a champion. He displayed the kind of cardio and aggression that made fans wonder just how long he could hold onto the heavyweight strap.
The one thing that has always held Velasquez back has been his health, though. After 10 years as a professional, the AKA fighter believes he's figured out how to avoid injuries in future fight camps now, per Rodolfo Roman of Fox News Latino:
For me, it’s about returning to fight,” the former champ told Fox News Latino. “That’s what I’m here to do. My past fights were pushed [back] because of injuries. I know how to stay healthy now...
Before I would go into practice pushing the body despite any injuries. It’s a good thing, but a bad thing. It’s good because your body is quick to adapt, but it’s a bad thing because you are forcing your body, and it can’t recover as well.
If Velasquez truly has figured out his training, the rest of the division should be on notice. Provided he's still able to showcase his trademark cardio and avoid injuries, he's going to be a force to be reckoned with in a division that is quick to forgive elite fighters who stumble.
Despite a year of inactivity and a brutal loss to Werdum, who has since lost the title, Velasquez still entered this fight as the No. 2-ranked heavyweight.
With a win over Browne, his campaign to take his throne back from new champion Stipe Miocic is in full swing.
