UFC Champ Cain Velasquez Not Suspended Until April; Texas Clarifies Suspension Error

Following his domination of Junior dos Santos at UFC 166 on Oct. 19 in Houston, UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez was baffled to find out that he had been medically suspended by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) due to a possible fractured jaw.

He was sore following five rounds of punishing dos Santos, but other than that, he suffered no ill effects outside of the usual cuts and bruises.

“There is nothing wrong whatsoever with (Velasquez’s) jaw or anything else,” Heidi Seibert, a spokesperson for Velasquez’s camp, told MMAWeekly.com at the time.

“He left fight, went straight to his party, eating and enjoying family and friends. He’s been to the amusement park with his daughter already. He is totally fine.”

The mystery came to an end on Wednesday when Susan Stanford, Public Information Officer for the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, told MMAWeekly.com that the initial medical suspension was posted incorrectly.

It should have read that Velasquez received the usual mandatory three-days-per-round cautionary suspension, putting him out until Nov. 3, 2013, instead of April 18, 2014.

His challenger was initially suspended indefinitely pending clearance by an ear, nose, and throat doctor, which was partially correct.

dos Santos’ initial suspension was due to possible nasal issues and still stands. He also should have had the 180-day minimum suspension for a possible fractured jaw that was attributed to Velasquez.

So, in the end, Cain Velasquez is suspended until Nov. 3, as is mandatory in Texas due to its three-days of precautionary suspension per round of action. Junior dos Santos is suspended for a minimum of 180 days. He will require clearance by a maxio-facial specialist for his jaw, and an ear, nose, and throat doctor for his nose.

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