UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez suffered a right knee injury in training and is out of his UFC 180 title defense against Fabricio Werdum.
With Velasquez out, Werdum will now face Mark Hunt for the interim title in the main event of the November 15th card coming from the Arena Ciudad de México in Mexico City, Mexico.
In a statement released to the media on Tuesday evening, Velasquez confirmed he suffered a right knee injury and will be looking to get back to training as soon as possible.
“I’m so unbelievably disappointed that this happened,” Velasquez said. “To say I was looking forward to fighting in Mexico for the first time is an understatement. I wanted to fight on that card so bad. Looks like it wasn’t meant to be and it’s not going to happen. I’m going to get my [right] knee fixed and get back to training as soon as I can. I’m sorry to the fans in Mexico who were expecting this fight, and I hope to be able to come down and still be a part of this historic event.”
Hunt (10-8-1) has gone 5-1-1 since losing his UFC debut in 2010 and is coming off a knockout win at UFC Fight Night 52 against Roy Nelson last month. In his five UFC victories, four of them have come by TKO/KO and has won a fight night bonus in each of his last four fights.
“I feel blessed to have this opportunity to fight for another world title,” Hunt said. “This is something that doesn’t happen often to people. First K1 and now UFC – how can I say no, even though it’s on short notice? I’m dropping everything and flying to Mexico tomorrow so I can best prepare myself for this fight. I have to get into shape and acclimatize to that environment, which is really important. There’s nothing to lose when you’re competing against the best at the top level.”
Werdum (18-5-1) is currently on a four fight winning streak and coach against Velasquez in The Ultimate Fighter Latin America. He has been training in Mexico for this fight and he is ready for the challenge Hunt brings.
“I’m ready for whatever comes,” Werdum said. “I have been training in Mexico for nearly two months and accept the challenge that is presented to me. I’ll continue to prepare and will arrive ready to fight on behalf of all my Latin American fans.”
The current UFC 180: Werdum vs. Hunt fight card is below.
Fabricio Werdum (17-5-1) vs. Mark Hunt (10-8-1)
Jake Ellenberger (29-8) vs. Kelvin Gastelum (10-0)
Diego Sanchez (27-7) vs. Joe Lauzon (24-9)
Ricardo Lamas (14-3) vs. Dennis Bermudez (15-3)
Augusto Montano (13-1) vs. Chris Heatherly (8-2, 1NC)
TBD vs. TBD – TUF Latin America Featherweight Final
TBD vs. TBD – TUF Latin America Bantamweight Final
Jessica Eye (10-2) vs. Leslie Smith (7-5-1)
Edgar Garcia (14-3) vs. Hector Urbina (16-8-1)