In the span of two days, UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum and his scheduled opponent Cain Velasquez both pulled out of their title fight, which was penciled in as the main event of UFC 196 in Las Vegas next weekend.
Velasquez, a former two-time UFC heavyweight champion, was scratched from the title fight on Monday, citing a serious back injury.
For fans of the American Kickboxing Academy leader, this was crushing news. But, as they say, one man’s loss is another man’s gain.
Number-two ranked contender Stipe Miocic was quick to fill the former champ’s shoes, agreeing to fight Werdum on just 13 days notice.
Just one day later though, UFC champ Werdum told a group of Brazilian media that he is also pulling out from the championship fight.
“I was already injured,” Werdum explained. “I have a foot injury and haven’t been able to throw kicks in training for two weeks. I would still fight Cain because I was injured the last time, but I also hurt my back last Friday. I went to the doctor, tried to continue training, but couldn’t spar as I should spar.
“I decided not to fight because I’m not 100 percent,” he continued. “If Cain was the opponent, I would go on. It’s not his fault, it’s nobody’s fault. Injuries happen. You can’t avoid them. I have no option. I made this decision because I’m not feeling 100 per cent.”
So, at the time of this writing, UFC 196 has no main event. The top scheduled fight is a welterweight bout, pitting Texas-based power wrestler Johny Hendricks against Stephen Thompson.
Miocic has agreed to fight on the card, but presently we have more questions than answers surrounding the Croatian-American fighter’s immediate future.
Will he still fight at UFC 196? If so, against who?
Will it still be the main event?
Will it be for an interim title?
Luckily for the Ohio-based firefighter, there a few heavyweights that have already offered their services for next weekend.
Josh Barnett is one of the prime candidates. The 38-year-old veteran became the youngest-ever UFC heavyweight champion in 2002 but has not competed in a title fight for the Nevada-based promotion since.
“If they page me 911, if they send me the number, I will absolutely take the fight (against Miocic),” Barnett told MMA Fighting. “If they want a heavyweight championship main event, I’m your man. I’ll go in. I’ll take care of business and I’ll give them what they want. I’ll give them what they need, which is a healthy, motivated championship fighter. That’s what they’ll get.”
The seasoned veteran is scheduled to face seventh-ranked contender Ben Rothwell on Sunday. But both heavyweight challengers have made it clear that they’re willing to scrap that main card fight for a championship opportunity.
And at this stage, Barnett and Rothwell seem like the two best choices to face Miocic in the main event slot next weekend.
All the other top heavyweights are either booked to fight, coming off losses or, in the case of Dutch kickboxing champ Alistair Overeem, currently a free agent, without a signed UFC deal.
Either way, the UFC needs to make a decision sooner rather than later.
UFC matchmakers Joe Silva and Sean Shelby are the best in the business, and they really need to pull a rabbit out of their hat – or risk pulling the plug on the pay-per-view event altogether.
In the 22-year history of the UFC, the company has only scrapped one event, a 2012 pay-per-view that fell apart when ageing power puncher Dan Henderson was forced out of a light heavyweight title fight against Jon Jones.
UFC decision makers offered the top pound-for-pound fighter a short-notice replacement fight against Chael Sonnen, a natural middleweight who had never won a UFC fight in the weight class. Jones declined, and all the UFC’s plans went up in flames. They were forced to cancel the event and issue refunds to all ticket buyers.
Let’s hope history doesn’t repeat itself.
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