UFC champ Cain Velasquez’s post-surgery photo

UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez has apparently cleared a major hurdle as he prepares for his 2014 campaign.

Velasquez posted the above photo today, a day after he underwent successful surgery for a torn labrum on his left shoulder.

“My shoulder surgery yesterday went well. Can’t wait to be back at it!” he wrote on Instagram.

It’s not the first shoulder surgery for the 31-year-old, who avenged his only career loss for a second time after knocking out Junior dos Santos in October at UFC 166. Both shoulders have now been surgically repaired on the former NCAA Division I All-American wrestler, who also tore his rotator cuff and labrum in his right shoulder while taking the title from Brock Lesnar in 2010.

A representative for Velasquez (13-1 MMA, 11-1 UFC) told MMAjunkie the procedure is “likely to set him back three months.”

However, with a smooth recovery, the champ could return by mid-2014, likely against Fabricio Werdum (17-5-1 MMA, 5-2 UFC), though the UFC hasn’t announced definitive plans for the heavyweight division’s current kingpin.

For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.