This weekend the former 2-time UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez returns to take on the #3 ranked heavyweight former title challenger "The Predator" Francis Ngannou in the main event at UFC On ESPN: Ngannou vs Velasquez. Known for carrying the burden of the injury bug even during his dominant run as the top contender in the heavyweight division it will be interesting to see how Cain is this weekend since he has been clear of injuries.

Since losing his title for the 2nd time to former champion Fabricio Werdum at UFC 188 in 2015 Cain Velasquez has been in action only 1 time and that was at UFC 200 in 2016 when he defeated Travis Browne by TKO in the 1st round. He would then be scheduled to have a rematch with Fabricio Werdum at UFC 207 but was deemed medically unfit to fight by the Nevada State Athletic Commission determined Velasquez was severely dealing with bone spurs in his back after examinations.

Since then the UFC's heavyweight division has had different champions, top contenders, and even a double champ in Daniel Cormier who is the current UFC Heavyweight Champ. He is also one of Cain Velasquez's closes friends and training partners at American Kickboxing Academy. It will be interesting to see where Cain fits in the heavyweight division with new top contenders like Curtis Blaydes, Derrick Lewis, Alexander Volkov, and former champ Stipe Micoic. Stipe Miocic has been the only person to dominate the division when he was the title holder like Cain dominated in the early 2010s.

Cain Velasquez will take on one of the most feared strikers in the heavyweight division and he is definitely the hardest puncher in the division, The Predator, Francis Ngannuo. The #3 ranked Heavyweight Francis Ngannuo is coming off a huge one that was done quickly when he finished Curtis Blaydes in 45 seconds in their rematch at UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs Ngannuo 2 back in November. While "The Predator " has 3 wins and 2 losses in his last 5 fights all of his victories have come in devastating fashion.

While his last 2 losses came from former champ Stipe Miocic when he defeated Francis Ngannuo to defend the belt at UFC 220 and what many people in the mix martial arts world considered the worst fight of 2018 when he lost to former title challenger "The Black Beast" Derrick Lewis via unanimous decision at UFC 226. While the fight with Stipe showed Francis Ngannuo's lack of ground defense when dealing with a wrestle it exposed a weakness in the Predator for the most part, especially with his Cardio. The bout with Derrick Lewis was lackluster, to say the least as Francis even admitted he was very hesitant in the bout due to his fight with Stipe.

Cain Velasquez is easily one of the best fighters in UFC history and is very well considered the greatest heavyweight of all time. His cardio has been held in a different light as it can be compared to no one aside from his training partners Daniel Cormier and UFC Lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov. Will Cain Velasquez out wrestle and dismantle Ngannuo or will he take the chance and throw hands in the pocket with the Hardest striker in the UFC?