Javier Mendez is confident that fans will see Cain Velasquez return soon.

Earlier this year, Velasquez didn’t rule out the idea of an MMA return despite him not stepping inside the cage since 2019.

He was knocked out by Francis Ngannou in 26 seconds in a fight that ended a three-year hiatus from the UFC Octagon.

With Velasquez recently being linked to grappling matches, this move would make a lot more sense for him, and the perfect promotion to facilitate this has already been in talks.

Javier Mendez expects Cain Velasquez to compete in RAF soon following talks

Cain Velasquez spent over 300 days in prison before being released near the start of the year.

After the former UFC heavyweight champion settled back into his more familiar routines, it looks like he’s gearing up for a return to competition.

Real American Freestyle recently debuted rankings that feature many of the ‘crossover’ athletes from the mixed martial arts world that they’ve signed.

As the coach of Khabib Nurmagomedov and Daniel Cormier, Javier Mendez often gets asked about the idea of some of the legends he’s worked with coming back.

In a recent interview, Mendez was asked specifically about RAF and which one of Nurmagomedov, Cormier, and Velasquez is most likely to sign with the promotion.

He didn’t hesitate when picking his answer due to talks already taking place regarding one of these three possibilities.

“Cain Velasquez. Hands down, Cain Velasquez,” he told MMA Junkie. “DC’s too busy. Cain Velasquez would be the best candidate with them and actually, we’re in discussions with them. So, Cain Velasquez is coming to RAF soon.”

Cain Velasquez signed a new UFC contract before his final fight

If Cain Velasquez did want to compete in MMA again, he’d have to do it inside the Octagon.

After beating Travis Browne at UFC 200 in 2016, the former champion planned on staying active and booked his next matchup for later that year.

However, Velasquez was pulled from UFC 207 by the Nevada State Athletic Commission due to his health, which he was open about in interviews.

He eventually made his return in 2019 in what was the first bout on a new four-fight deal that he’d signed.

After being stopped by Francis Ngannou, Velasquez announced several months later that he was retiring from MMA.