Mexico City was promised a UFC heavyweight championship match between Cain Velasquez and Fabricio Werdum at UFC 180, but an injury prevented that from happening. Signs currently point to the UFC targeting the matchup back in the Mexico capital for the summer of 2015.
The UFC 180 main event was changed to an interim title bout with Werdum going against Mark Hunt. Werdum took the championship home after a second-round TKO off a flying knee.
UFC President Dana White confirmed at the UFC media event “The Time Is Now” on Monday that plans are currently set to have the unification bout between Velasquez and Werdum in Mexico City in June.
Velasquez and Werdum were opposing coaches on the first season of The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America. The two speak fluent Spanish and helped gain a stake in Mexico for the UFC. UFC 180 proved successful with a record for the largest gate at Mexico City Arena.
Werdum's win streak extended to five after defeating Hunt for the interim strap. Three of the five wins have been stoppages, and he has delivered as one of the most exciting heavyweights in the world.
Velasquez is on a four-fight win streak, but has not beaten anyone not named Junior dos Santos or Antonio Silva since his 2010 championship win over Brock Lesnar. Injuries have been a storied part of Velasquez's career.
Should Velasquez return from injury on time—and the proposed June date goes off without a hitch—the UFC could be looking at another big event in Mexico City. The unification bout would be the first the heavyweight has seen since Lesnar defeated interim champion Shane Carwin at UFC 116 in 2010.
Werdum deserves a performance bonus for the work he's done since Velasquez's injury. He's been incredible with the local media and fans.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) November 16, 2014
The UFC seems set on delivering on its promised bout for Mexico City, and both champions being fluent in Spanish will play a massive role in making the contest a success for the UFC. They have the ability to connect locally—and this was on display in the media lead-up to UFC 180.
Werdum and Velasquez both got a huge ovation from the live crowds throughout the week in Mexico City.
Werdum's title victory will only serve to make the title fight bigger and better when the two talented heavyweights finally meet inside the Octagon.
The scheduled June pay-per-view event is currently slated as UFC 188 on June 13, 2015.
