According to a report by MMAjunkie, UFC heavyweight contender Ben Rothwell has been forced out of next month’s UFC 203 co-main event fight with Fabricio Werdum.
The report states that the promotion is actively seeking a replacement to keep Werdum, a former UFC heavyweight champion, on the September 10 card from Cleveland’s Quicken Loans Arena.
Rothwell (36-10) has gone 6-4 over his UFC career, but was recently bested by former champion Junior dos Santos after four consecutive wins. A member of his team stated that Rothwell suffered a torn meniscus and possible ACL injury.
Werdum (20-6-1) dropped the title to Stipe Miocic earlier this year in Brazil. He is 8-3 over two stints with the UFC.
Miocic is set to make his first defense on the card in his home state against top challenger Alistair Overeem.