Velasquez spoke with USA Today's Sergio Non about the announcement:
Q: Originally you were supposed to fight Nov. 19 in San Jose. When UFC contacted you about switching to the Anaheim show on Fox, what was your reaction?
Velasquez: I said "Great." It's definitely a big thing with them having that partnership, and then for us to be on that first fight on Fox is a big thing. So I said yeah. I was all for it.
When did they first approach you about it?
They told me about it last night and wanted to know if I was OK with it. It's a great opportunity.
How do you make up for the loss of pay-per-view income? Or did UFC tell you they'll take care of that?
They took care of it. They're telling us we're going to make so much out of it. It's all working out, so we're happy.
Non also asked Velasquez about his shoulder. Velasquez had surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff back in January.Velasquez: I said "Great." It's definitely a big thing with them having that partnership, and then for us to be on that first fight on Fox is a big thing. So I said yeah. I was all for it.
When did they first approach you about it?
They told me about it last night and wanted to know if I was OK with it. It's a great opportunity.
How do you make up for the loss of pay-per-view income? Or did UFC tell you they'll take care of that?
They took care of it. They're telling us we're going to make so much out of it. It's all working out, so we're happy.
How has your shoulder been coming along since the rotator-cuff surgery?
Shoulder's good. I've been training now for two months straight. It feels good. I'm happy with the results of the surgery.
Were there any techniques or motions that were particularly difficult when you first came back?
No. With the shoulder, I have all the movement that I had before. It was just all-around, getting the cobwebs out. I feel like the recovery has been going good.
Velasquez last fought in October of 2010, defeating Brock Lesnar by TKO to win the UFC heavyweight title. He is undefeated in nine professional bouts.Shoulder's good. I've been training now for two months straight. It feels good. I'm happy with the results of the surgery.
Were there any techniques or motions that were particularly difficult when you first came back?
No. With the shoulder, I have all the movement that I had before. It was just all-around, getting the cobwebs out. I feel like the recovery has been going good.