While Cain Velasquez enjoyed a pair of title reigns in the UFC, he didn’t have the longevity of some of the sport’s other top heavyweights.
His MMA career came to an end after UFC on ESPN 1, when he suffered a knee injury in a first-round stoppage loss to Francis Ngannou on Feb. 17, 2019. That loss came on the heels of what had been nearly a three-year layoff, as Velasquez was hindered by knee and back ailments during the latter portion of his promotional tenure.
His peak from 2009 to 2013 was among the most memorable heavyweight runs in MMA history.