UFC News: Major Changes On 196 Main Event Bout After Werdum And Velasquez Pull Out Due To Injuries
The situation concerning the UFC 196 main event bout got out of hand.
The original headliner for the said event, which had been slated for February 6, was a rematch between heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum and former champion Cain Velasquez. However, Velasquez announced that he was once again forced to the sidelines due to a back injury he apparently sustained in training.
"All of us fighters have all fought injured at one time or another, but I can't ignore this injury, as my doctor has indicated that not addressing the problems with my sciatic nerve could have longer-term consequences," Velasquez expained through a lengthy Facebook post.
After Velasquez's announcement, the UFC made a quick move to save the event by putting in heavyweight top contender Stipe Miocic to replace Velasquez.
Miocic had been actively campaigning for a title shot, since he scored a first round technical knockout victory against former heavyweight champion Andre Arlovski at UFC 195 early this month. However, Miocic will be missing his chance for a much awaited title shot.
Just a day after the new main event bout was announced, Werdum made his own injury revelation and pulled out of the bout. Speaking with veteran mixed martial arts journalist Ariel Helwani in an episode of MMA Fighting's The MMA Hour, Werdum clarified that he was already dealing with a nagging foot injury, leaving him unable to "throw kicks" for two weeks during camp.
Werdum adds that on top of the injured foot, he had also hurt his back during the previous Friday's training session. He also says that it would have been a different situation if Velasquez was still his opponent.
"If Cain was the opponent, I would go on," Werdum said. "It's not his fault, it's nobody's fault. Injuries happen."
According to a follow-up report by MMA Junkie, the UFC had decided to downgrade the said event, from a pay-per-view card to a free TV card that would air on FOX Sports 1. It is now called a "UFC Fight Night" event.
The new main event would be a welterweight showdown between former champion Johny Hendricks, and Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson.
