Former heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez is out of UFC 196 due to injury.
UFC officials announced on Sunday that the former heavyweight champion suffered a back injury and has been forced to withdraw from the UFC 196 title fight against titleholder Fabricio Werdum. Second-ranked contender Stipe Miocic has stepped in to replace Velasquez on the Feb. 6 fight card.
Injuries have plagued Velasquez’s career. The two-time former champion has only fought once since October 2013. He had hoped to regain the title in the rematch, but those plans have been postponed.
Miocic (14-2) last fought on Jan. 2, defeating Andrei Arlovski by TKO in the opening round. He’s currently riding a two-fight winning streak and stepped up to replace Velasquez on a 13-day notice.
Werdum (20-5-1) unified the heavyweight title by defeating Velasquez at UFC 188 in June. The two were originally scheduled to fight at UFC 180 in November 2014, but Velasquez was forced out of the event due to a knee injury. Instead, Werdum faced and defeated Mark Hunt for an interim belt.
UFC 196, now titled Werdum vs. Miocic, takes place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
