Cain Velasquez is a free man.
The former UFC heavyweight champion was released from prison over the weekend after serving less than a year of his multi-year sentence. Velasquez, 43, was put away for a 2022 revenge shooting — spurred by allegations his son was molested by a daycare worker — that left one man injured.
So what’s next?
The number crunchers over at BetOnline.ag recently dropped odds for a potential UFC return. Velasquez retired from competition back in late 2019 but may have blown through a significant portion of his Octagon earnings in a high-priced effort to avoid a life sentence.
Here are the odds on his return opponent if Velasquez re-signs with UFC:
Derrick Lewis 3/1
Mick Parkin 11/2 (+550)
Shamil Gaziev 11/2 (+550)
Tallison Teixeira 7/1
Curtis Blaydes 9/1
Valter Walker 9/1
Marcin Tybura 10/1
Ante Delija 14/1
Rizvan Kuniev 14/1
Alexander Volkov 20/1
Ciryl Gane 20/1
Sergei Pablovich 20/1
Tom Aspinall 33/1
Francis Ngannou 50/1
Velasquez (14-3) has only competed once over the last decade, a knockout loss to Francis Ngannou atop the promotion’s inaugural ESPN card back in early 2019. Velasquez was known for being injury prone, even during his prime, but would be returning to a division that is the weakest it’s been in several years.
Greatest comeback in UFC history … or back to a quiet retirement?
