It looks like the UFC has been forced to make a major shift at UFC 196 after the cancellation of a planned heavyweight bout between Fabricio Werdum and Cain Velasquez.
In something of an unprecedented move, the UFC is is cancelling a PPV, but not a fight card. In the past, when major PPV main events have fallen apart, the world’s leading MMA promotion has gone one of two directions: Either keep the event on PPV and hope that the UFC brand carries it without a major headliner, or cancel the card altogether and re-book the fights asap. This time, they’ve taken the rare option of the middle path. Move the card off of PPV.
Because PPV comes with it’s own obligations to satellite and cable providers, the UFC has been incredibly reluctant in the past to actually go so far as to move an event off PPV and onto network TV. Essentially, if the card is good enough to go forward with, then it might as well stay on PPV and get whatever buys it can generate. It looks like that’s no longer the case.
Yahoo Sports has reported that the upcoming UFC 196 card will no longer take place on PPV, but instead be broadcast live on Fox Sports 1. The headliner will now be Johnny Hendricks vs. Stephen Thompson, with no new fights being added to the card.
Originally the event was slated to be headlined by Fabricio Werdum vs. Cain Velasquez 2 for the heavyweight title, but a late injury to Velasquez saw the UFC try to promote a Stipe Miocic as a last minute title contender for Werdum’s belt. Werdum declined to take the fight, opting instead to pull out and take the time to heal up his own injuries, rather than fighting a new challenger on short notice.
All of which left the UFC right in the lurch, set to hold a PPV without a fight to headline it. Looks like this time around they went for the best option for the fans and the fighters. Here’s a look at the card as it stands now: