This Sunday, in the main event of the UFC’s debut card on ESPN, former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez will step into the Octagon for the first time in almost three years, where he’ll look to return to heavyweight prominence with the win over the fearsome Francis Ngannou.

While Velasquez is determined to make the most of this comeback, it sounds like this could be his last walk to the cage if things don’t go as planned.

Speaking to Yahoo Sports this week, the former champion divulged that he plans to retire if he’s not able to compete at the level he expects of himself.

“The reason I do this is to be the No. 1 guy,” Velasquez said. “And if I’m not as competitive as I was before, then I’m not doing it. But I also believe that I am that same guy. I’ve improved a lot and right now, I feel stronger than ever, stronger than in the past. Obviously in that fight against Travis Browne, I am stronger than that. My body feels better than I did then with the time off I’ve taken.

“I just have a lot of confidence to go out and win this fight,” Velasquez added. “I expect to go out and compete at a high-level. If I can’t do that, then I’m not going to do this any more.”

Despite his willingness to step away with an unsatisfactory performance, Cain Velasquez seems very confident that he’ll find a path to victory against the ferocious puncher Francis Ngannou, and that there are more wins to follow.

“The way I feel now, I feel great and feel like I can keep going for quite a while more.”

How do you think Cain Velasquez will look in his anticipated return to the cage this weekend?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 2/15/2019.