Cain Velasquez injured, UFC 196 has new main event – Werdum vs Miocic
A back injury has forced former two-time heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez out of his UFC 196 main event rematch against Fabricio Werdum on February 6.
The heavyweight champion will defend his title on Super Bowl weekend though, as UFC President Dana White announced Sunday afternoon that Werdum will now face number two-ranked contender Stipe Miocic at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Velasquez is no stranger to injury, having not competed at all in 2014 and only once in 2011 and once in 2015.
Miocic (14-2) defeated Andrei Arlovski by way of knockout in just 54-seconds earlier this month at UFC 195. He also put on an extremely impressive outing defeating Mark Hunt in a five-round affair in May 2015.
Werdum (20-5-1) has yet to lose since coming to the UFC back in 2012. He has racked up six straight victories to include a win over Velasquez last year where the Brazilian captured the UFC heavyweight title.
UFC 196 will feature 13 bouts on the night to include newcomer Mickey Gall looking to get his shot with CM Punk. In order to do so Gall must defeat Michael Jackson in their opening bout on UFC Fight Pass.
