LAS VEGAS (AP) — UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez has undergone surgery to repair his torn rotator cuff.
UFC president Dana White says the recovery is likely to keep Velasquez out of the octagon until at least September.
Velasquez had surgery last week in Las Vegas, White confirmed Monday.
The recovery time for the procedure typically is about eight months, but White says Velasquez hopes to be back sooner.
White says he won’t name an interim champion in Velasquez’s absence. The UFC already has announced Brock Lesnar and Junior Dos Santos will fight in June, and the winner will get a title shot when Velasquez returns.
Velasquez claimed his title at UFC 121 last October with a first-round stoppage of Lesnar, the UFC’s biggest pay-per-view draw.
