Nevada Athletic Commission Pulls Medically ‘Unfit’ Cain Velasquez from UFC 207

The more this crazy world changes, the more things in the Ultimate Fighting Championship stay the same. It was announced late Friday afternoon that former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez will not be fighting at UFC 207 after all.

In a turn of events that shouldn’t come as a surprise to anybody, the oft-maligned Velasquez has once again been removed from a bout due to medical issues. Velasquez, who has suffered through a promising career that has been ravaged by injuries, was not allowed to fight next Friday night by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Velasquez was supposed to lock horns with fellow former champ Fabricio Werdum in one of the featured bouts of UFC 207, but the skirmish will have to wait.

“Based on medical records, interviews and the best judgment of Chairman Anthony Marnell, attorney general J. Brin Gibson, the executive director's office and our physicians, in an effort to protect the health and safety of the athletes, it's been determined Cain Velasquez is unfit to fight,” a statement from the NSAC read. “The financial incentive for fighters to compete is strongly compelling, and it is the responsibility and obligation of this commission to intervene when excessive risks are evident. It's obvious Mr. Velasquez is physically compromised, and competing would place him in significant physical risk.”

According to a report by ESPN, Velasquez has been struggling through back pain and had a surgery already planned for Jan. 4. He told the sports giant that he has had to endure pain that shoots down his leg and said that walking and standing for long periods of time causes him great discomfort. He and his team have stated that he is physically able and willing to go ahead with his rematch with Werdum, but the choice to pull him off the card was solely on NAC.

The UFC announced on Friday that there will be no replacement opponent for Werdum to fight, thus removing the Brazilian from UFC 207 altogether, bringing the fight total for the event from 11 to 10.