UPDATE 5:41 P.M. Eastern Time
Kevin Iole of Yahoo! Sports reports that Velasquez had an MRI on his left shoulder, and pending the results, could require surgery. Therefore, his next title defense remains up in the air.
—End of Update—
The UFC plans to make their debut in Mexico with a bang next year, assuming all goes as planned.
According to a report from Latino media outlet Milenio, translation per Bloody Elbow, UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez will defend his strap against top contender Fabricio Werdum at UFC 172 in April.
It’s a matter of days for the UFC officially announced the first event in Mexico. The Arena Mexico City will host the Billboard 172 company, a pay per view for America that will be headlined by Cain Velasquez and challenger for the heavyweight belt, the Brazilian Fabricio Werdum.
Velasquez beat former champ Junior dos Santos from pillar to post in their rubber match at UFC 166 last month, leaving his Brazilian adversary a bruised and bloody mess before finishing him in the fifth round.
The former Arizona State Sun Devil, a two-time collegiate All-American wrestler, now boasts a 13-1 record as a professional mixed martial artist and has twice avenged his loss to JDS.
Meanwhile, “Vai Cavalo” has looked stellar in his second stint inside the Octagon, posting a 3-0 mark against Roy Nelson, Mike Russow and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.
While Velasquez has the clear cardio advantage in this potential upcoming title matchup, Werdum is one of the best Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belts around with submission wins over Nogueira, Alistair Overeem and Fedor Emelianenko.
After Velasquez defeated JDS for a second time, UFC President Dana White announced the champion would make his next title defense against Werdum, per MMA Weekly.
White has also expressed a desire to hold shows in Mexico before, so it would make sense for him to get the ball rolling by booking his Mexican-American champion as the headlining fighter on their first show there.
Check back with Bleacher Report in the upcoming days to see if this rumor becomes a reality.
John Heinis is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA Editor for eDraft.com.
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