Velasquez releases statement following back surgery, no return date set

Cain Velasquez is finally learning from his mistakes.

The former UFC heavyweight champ successfully underwent back surgery to relieve pressure on his sciatica earlier this year, and gave the latest on his recovery in a statement posted to his Twitter account Monday:

The 34-year-old - who'd been previously sidelined for 18- and 13-month periods with a mixed bag of injuries - wrote he intended to ease his way back into training to avoid yet another lengthy layoff, and refrained from putting a date on his return to action.

Velasquez had been set to face Fabricio Werdum - the man who dethroned him at UFC 188 - this past December at UFC 207, but after revealing he'd been booked to go under the knife the following week and had resorted to marijuana derivative cannabidiol to dull the pain during training, the Nevada State Athletic Commission scrapped the bout just a few days prior to the event.

The matchup was expected to determine divisional king Stipe Miocic's next challenger, but with the champ now set to defend the strap in a rematch with Junior dos Santos at UFC 211 in May, Velasquez wrote he'll be watching the fight intently.

The former champ last entered the Octagon at UFC 200, where he handed Travis Browne a first-round drubbing.