Cain Velasquez

By FCF Staff

After fighting just once since 2013 due to injuries, Cain Velasquez has decided to scale back the amount of sparring he does in training.

Since Velasquez stopped Junior dos Santos at UFC 166, the accomplished wrestler has been sidelined with shoulder and knee injuries for much of that time. The former heavyweight champ’s only bout since then took place last June, when he lost the title to Fabricio Werdum. Earlier this year, Velasquez was scheduled to face Werdum once again, but an injury forced him to withdraw.

Up next, Velasquez is booked to fight Travis Browne on July 9th at UFC 200. Recently the AKA fighter spoke with the media, and he reported the following (quote via FOX Sports.com):

“Sparring three times a week isn’t as beneficial to me as, say, a guy who is just coming into the sport,” said Velasquez.

“I think I’ll cut sparring down to two days a week, maybe even one day.”

Browne, meanwhile, is coming off a stoppage win over Matt Mitrione in January.

UFC 200 will be hosted by the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.