It seems that the shoe is now on the other foot and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum is making sure that he is at 100% before he gets inside the Octagon once again with Cain Velasquez.
The announcement was already made by UFC President Dana White, citing that Werdum had requested that the fight be moved due to injury.
The development comes as a surprise for some, considering that between him and Velasquez, it was the latter who has been known to have his bout with injuries.
It was initially reported that the rematch would be set by February; now it may have been moved further.
"The fight won't happen probably until March," the executive said after UFC 191, which took place at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. "That's when Werdum wants to fight," Dana added.
Despite his loss last time out, Velasquez is still a surprising favorite against Werdum. It will be recalled that both fighters faced off at UFC 188, in which Werdum pulled off a win. The high altitude was singled out as the reason, seeing Werdum flying in almost a month in advance to get himself acclimatized compared to Velasquez who flew in only two weeks prior.
On whether that reasoning will stick will be known by spring. And from there, a follow-up question will most likely have an answer as well. This is with regard to Andrei Arlovski and when he could possibly get a title shot against the winner of the Werdum vs. Velasquez setto.
"Unfortunately, this heavyweight division is tied up right now," Dana said via MMA Junkie. "We'll see how this thing plays out and go from there," he added.
For the record, a straight answer to that could happen if Werdum repeats his mastery over Velasquez. If the latter wins, then there will likely be a deciding match to break the stalemate.
