MMA Fighting<\/a>). \u201cHaving a great camp coming in, truly, everything I said, how strongly I felt, that was all true. Coming in I felt great out there, relaxed, and then taking that one step I did with my left foot. I just felt something pop and then when I tried to take another step it just gave out on me. My knee gave out on me, I can\u2019t even believe that happened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cGoing in 100 percent healthy. 100 percent ready and just to have this freak accident, I can\u2019t even believe it. It\u2019s just hard. That\u2019s sports, that\u2019s what we do. That\u2019s what happens sometimes. It\u2019s just really frustrating because the fire in me is strong, stronger than ever. In camp, great camp, great camp. And then this happens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cain Velasquez also added that none of the punches Ngannou landed really hurt him. In his eyes, it was his knee that caused the end of the fight. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt was just the knee, he didn\u2019t even, like, touch me, you know?\u201d Velasquez said. \u201cIt was just the knee, as soon as I felt the knee just buckle, it was like I couldn\u2019t believe that happened. And then that was it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGoing in for his leg, I felt he kind of clubbed me on the back of the head, but that didn\u2019t graze me at all,\u201d Velasquez continued. \u201cNone of the punches grazed me at all or did anything to myself where I felt like I was unbalanced or anything. Just getting in on the inside and it was just a freak thing that happened with my knee.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite this unfortunate twist, Cain Velasquez does not blame anyone but himself for the way things unfolded. He agrees with the referee’s choice to stop the fight, and says he has lots of respect for Francis Ngannou.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt was okay because the ref saw my knee buckle.\u201d Velasquez said. \u201cThe ref saw my knee buckle. His job is to make sure we\u2019re 100 percent safe and he did that. Even for me, just to process what happened in that moment, even afterwards \u2014 the ref did the right job, he did the correct job tonight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI have a lot of respect for [Ngannou] \u2014 I have a lot of respect for a lot of fighters, that\u2019s just how I am \u2014 Before the fight, a lot of respect, but I\u2019m there to kill him,\u201d Velasquez concluded. \u201cAfter the fight, a lot of respect, especially for him as a man, as a competitor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI beat myself tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What do you think the future holds for Cain Velasquez after this tough loss?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This article first appeared on <\/em>BJPENN.COM<\/em><\/a> on 2\/17\/2019.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Cain Velasquez didn’t get the return to action he was hoping for. Instead, the heavyweight legend was stopped by the ferocious Francis Ngannou in the first 30 seconds of their UFC Phoenix fight \u2014 apparently injuring his knee in the process. Post-fight, Cain Velasquez offered his complete disbelief with the way his knee quit on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":54430,"featured_media":301794,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false},"categories":[10141,39610],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n
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