According to a report by MMAjunkie, UFC heavyweight contender Ben Rothwell has been forced out of next month’s UFC 203 co-main event fight with Fabricio Werdum.
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Now it seems Werdum will have to sit back and await a new challenger that the UFC is currently searching for to step in on one month’s notice to face the former champ. Miocic knocked Werdum out with a single punch on May 14, ending the former champion’s six-fight winning streak.
Rothwell was on the cusp of receiving a title shot before his loss to Dos Santos.
Rothwell vs. Werdum was expected to co-headline the upcoming UFC 203 card in Cleveland with the heavyweight title bout between Stipe Miocic and Alistair Overeem serving as the main event.
Velasquez would certainly love a shot at redemption against Werdum who took his title away from him, and added insult to injury by doing so in front of his native crowd in Mexico City.
No replacement has been selected at this time to fight Werdum, but UFC officials are reportedly working on a suitable opponent to battle “Vai Cavalo” on the “North Coast”.
UFC 203 also features the MMA debut of former WWE superstar CM Punk against Mickey Gall.
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UFC 203 is taking place September 10 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland.
