Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez has said he would have been prepared to walk away from MMA had the UFC not had offered him a new contract that was worth his while.
Velasquez will return this Sunday from a lengthy back injury that has kept him out of the octagon since July 2016, facing Francis Ngannou in the main event of the UFC’s debut card on ESPN. The 36-year-old said his return was dependent on a new UFC contract, and once both he and the UFC decided on a deal, Velasquez was ready to return to the cage.