Velasquez's coach takes responsibility for defeat against Werdum

Werdum (left) managed to dominate Velasquez in striking and finished the job on the ground. Photo: Reproduction

The head coach of Cain Velazquez took full responsibility for not having adequately prepared his athlete for the fight against Fabricio Werdum, in July, in a fight that cost him the UFC heavyweight belt.

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At the time, Velasquez was dominated by Werdum and ended up submitting in the third round. The fight, which was Velasquez's first since 2013, took place in Mexico City, at an altitude of 2200 meters. The Brazilian had completed the entire final stretch of his training there to adapt to the conditions, while Velasquez only went to the city shortly before the fight.

Leader of the AKA academy, Javier Mendez acknowledged that he did not take all the measures to ensure that his athlete performed in the best possible way. “I messed up that time. In short, it's my responsibility to prepare my fighter in the best way possible and that night I didn't do that. I failed at my job. Even though Cain says it was his fault, it wasn't. It was my fault. It was my responsibility to look at the altitude, but I messed up. I won't make the same mistake again. Fabrício is an excellent fighter and you can't make a mistake against him. That fight showed that. They didn’t make any mistakes and we made several,” he explained, in an interview with the “Talking Brawls” YouTube channel.

Mendez has no doubt that the altitude interfered with the course of the fight, as Velasquez was well prepared physically. “For me, altitude was 100% the main factor. He was the best Cain I had ever seen. He was 100% healthy, in the best shape of his life. No injuries or anything. Then he gets there and he looks like the worst Cain I've ever seen. I don’t know how to explain it,” he commented.

Despite the dominant defeat, Velasquez will have the chance to face Werdum again for the belt. The fight does not yet have a defined date and location, but it has already been confirmed by the UFC.

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