Tag: UFC 172

Report: Cain Velasquez vs. Fabricio Werdum May Be at UFC 172 in Mexico (UPDATE)

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…

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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Report: Cain Velasquez vs. Fabricio Werdum to Headline UFC’s First Trip to Mexico in April 2014 [UPDATED]


(Yeah, good luck topping that.) 

Update, 5:05 p.m. ET: UFC President Dana White has refuted this report, telling Yahoo! that Cain won’t be competing on the Mexico show because he might have injured his left shoulder during his last fight against Junior Dos Santos. Velasquez has already undergone one MRI, and will have another to determine the extent of his injury and whether or not he’ll need surgery. Stay tuned…

**********

Although the matchup has yet to be officially confirmed by the UFC, multiple sources are reporting that the rumored bout between Cain Velasquez and Fabricio Werdum has been tentatively scheduled for the UFC’s inaugural trip to Mexico in 2014. The event: UFC 172. The date: April-ish. BloodyElbow passes along the roughly-translated news:

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.

The date, the weekend of the 19th or April 26th 2014 is perfect for the Mexican American, because even though the medical suspension was discarded six months after his last defense, if you have half a year to make full preparation. On Tuesday afternoon, the president of the promoter Dana White confirmed that the announcement will take place on Mexican soil as they become ready. That moment could come in the coming weeks as the company’s promotional activity intensifies. 

Let’s hope that a trip to the motherland helps Velasquez rebound from being skipped over in the EA Sports video game cover vote, a fact he will probably be thankful for when Jon Jones confirms the “Cover Boy Curse” by getting viciously KO’d in his next fight.


(Yeah, good luck topping that.) 

Update, 5:05 p.m. ET: UFC President Dana White has refuted this report, telling Yahoo! that Cain won’t be competing on the Mexico show because he might have injured his left shoulder during his last fight against Junior Dos Santos. Velasquez has already undergone one MRI, and will have another to determine the extent of his injury and whether or not he’ll need surgery. Stay tuned…

**********

Although the matchup has yet to be officially confirmed by the UFC, multiple sources are reporting that the rumored bout between Cain Velasquez and Fabricio Werdum has been tentatively scheduled for the UFC’s inaugural trip to Mexico in 2014. The event: UFC 172. The date: April-ish. BloodyElbow passes along the roughly-translated news:

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.

The date, the weekend of the 19th or April 26th 2014 is perfect for the Mexican American, because even though the medical suspension was discarded six months after his last defense, if you have half a year to make full preparation. On Tuesday afternoon, the president of the promoter Dana White confirmed that the announcement will take place on Mexican soil as they become ready. That moment could come in the coming weeks as the company’s promotional activity intensifies. 

Let’s hope that a trip to the motherland helps Velasquez rebound from being skipped over in the EA Sports video game cover vote, a fact he will probably be thankful for when Jon Jones confirms the “Cover Boy Curse” by getting viciously KO’d in his next fight.

If the reports have any truth to them, the April 2014 fight date will unfortunately keep Werdum sidelined for nearly a year. We last saw “Vai Cavalo” in action back in June, when he submitted Big Nog (*chokes back vomit*) at UFC on FUEL 10. The win made for Werdum’s third straight since re-entering the UFC in 2012.

What do you think about this potential showdown, Nation? Does Werdum stand a chance in hell or will Velasquez continue to ruin the heavyweight division by being so damn good?

–J. Jones