Fabricio Werdum pulls out of UFC 196 as main event shuffle continues

Fabricio Werdum

When Cain Velasquez was forced to pull out of his rematch with Fabricio Werdum in the UFC 196 main event, it was a big blow to the card. Now, the heavyweight champion has followed suit and pulled out of the card.

Werdum (20-5-1 MMA, 8-2 UFC) captured the title from Velasquez (13-2 MMA, 11-2 UFC) at UFC 188 by submission in a stunningly dominant performance. When Velasquez pulled out, he was replaced by Stipe Miocic (14-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC), but Werdum has now decided to deal with his own nagging injuries.

Werdum confirmed the decision to withdraw from the bout to MMAjunkie.

It is currently unknown if Miocic will remain on the card or if the co-main event between Johny Hendricks and Stephen Thompson will be elevated to the headliner slot.

This article will be updated shortly with quotes from the champion.

For more on UFC 196, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.