"I'm not coming back for peanuts."
Cain Velasquez, the 43-year-old former UFC heavyweight champion, has laid out a single, steep condition for a potential return to mixed martial arts: an exceptionally high compensation.
The 43-year-old last fought in 2019. Velasquez also recently completed an 11-month prison sentence after entering a no-contest plea to an attempted murder charge.
In a recent podcast interview, Velasquez made his stance clear. He stated that he has other interests and does not believe any promotion is willing to meet his financial demands for a comeback.
"I have other things going on," Velasquez said. "Unless someone wants to pay me an absurd amount of money, it's not happening. And I don't think any promotion is going to do that."
This statement effectively closes the door on a return to active competition—at least under current market conditions.