Cain Velasquez vs. Fabricio Werdum and the Top Canceled Fights in UFC History
Super Bowl weekend became decidedly less super for MMA fans Monday when heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum withdrew from the main event of UFC 196.
The news, delivered by Guilherme Cruz of MMA Fighting, comes precisely one day after former champ Cain Velasquez pulled out of the fight with Werdum because of a back injury. It was to be a rematch between the two greats and the first bout for both since Werdum defeated Velasquez for the title last June.
Because of the history and stakes involved, this was a hotly anticipated fight and the clear anchor of the UFC's always important Super Bowl weekend pay-per-view event.
The whole thing got us to thinking: Although there's a pretty good chance this one gets rescheduled at some point in time, as it stands, where does Werdum-Velasquez 2 rank among the biggest UFC fights that never were? We've ranked the top canceled bouts based on how good the fight could have been and how important it was.
Two notes: First, these are fights that were on the official books at one time but didn't happen. This is not hypothetical matchmaking. Second, we're talking about fights that were canceled entirely, as opposed to those where one fighter changed or something like that.
Got it? That's great. Let's get it on.
Honorable Mentions
1 of 7
In no particular order:
- Johny Hendricks vs. Tyron Woodley, UFC 192
- Jose Aldo vs. Erik Koch, UFC 149
- Chael Sonnen vs. Wanderlei Silva, UFC 175
- Brian Stann vs. Hector Lombard, UFC on Fox 4
- Anthony Pettis vs. T.J. Grant, UFC on Fox 9
5. Tim Means vs. Abel Trujillo
2 of 7
An unsung casualty of the infamous UFC 151 cancellation, Tim Means vs. Abel Trujillo was a gem of a rip-snorter that vanished on the wind of that fateful day in 2012, never to return.
This one's not as "important" as the others on this list. But man, would it have ever been fun.
UFC officials tried to bring it back, rescheduling the bout for two months later at UFC on Fox 5. But fate was again against them. On the day of weigh-ins, Means slipped in the sauna, cracked his head, withdrew from the card and was replaced by Marcus LeVesseur. Woo.
It's a shame because these were two of the scariest headhunters in the lightweight division, and this fight was a virtual pyrotechnics lock. Since this date, the two have combined for seven knockout wins and four UFC performance bonuses.
Saddest of all, it looks like this one will never come to pass, given that Means now competes back at welterweight.
4. Cain Velasquez vs. Fabricio Werdum 2
3 of 7
This one might be even higher on the list if (a) they hadn't fought before and (b) it hadn't been so one-sided, with Werdum controlling much of the bout before winning in the third with a guillotine choke submission.
Still, this one was for the strap, and plenty of people wanted to see how "sea-level Cain" matched up with Werdum. Plus, Velasquez (not to mention Werdum) is considered one of the best MMA heavyweights ever, title or otherwise.
Here's hoping they're eventually able to run this one back. If not, it's an even sadder chapter in an increasingly ponderous Cain Velasquez story: the one about his injuries.
T-3. Kevin Randleman vs. Pedro Rizzo
4 of 7
For the oldest old-school fight on this list, we go back to the year 2000 and UFC 24.
Kevin Randleman was set to defend his heavyweight title against a very dangerous Vale Tudo champ by the name of Pedro Rizzo. It had all the makings of something great.
And then Randleman fell backstage and hit his head. Concussion. Fight off.
It was not the result anyone was looking for, and it's one that still comes up today in any discussion of the UFC's stranger moments.
At least the bout was rescheduled for UFC 26. Randleman reached the Octagon without incident and defeated Rizzo by decision.
T-3. Carlos Condit vs. Matt Brown
5 of 7
It hurt to remember that this fight once existed, if only on paper.
The year was 2013. Robin Thicke was showing us all how to blur the lines in our hearts, and our lives. The rise of bitcoin forever changed the way we do business and purchase consumer goods. You couldn't go to any restaurant—any of them—without seeing deviled eggs somewhere on the menu.
It was also the year of UFC on Fox 9, an event that was to shine all the brighter because of Carlos Condit and Matt Brown, two of the toughest, sharpest, most aggressive and most dangerous muay thai strikers ever placed inside that UFC cage, be it at welterweight or any other type of weight. Oh, and they were fighting each other.
There wasn't going to be any bonus money left for anyone else.
You know where this is going. Brown hurt his back and pulled out, and Condit was subsequently removed from the card. This one has never been rescheduled.
2. Jon Jones vs. Dan Henderson
6 of 7
This wasn't going to be the most scintillating fight. Yes, Dan Henderson was younger in 2012, but that doesn't mean a whole heck of a lot given that he turned 42 the day after UFC 151 was cancelled August 23.
A Hendo knee injury also caused the event's termination when light heavyweight champion Jon Jones refused to face a new opponent with just a week to prepare.
So it wasn't a big fight in an absolute-value sense. However, since it involved the champ and world's best fighter in Jones and led to the loss of an entire event, it is still the most famous and "biggest" fight to fit this category.
1. Urijah Faber vs. Dominick Cruz 3
7 of 7
It would have been nice, very nice indeed, to see Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber renew what appeared and appears to be a very genuine rivalry. It would have been even nicer to see these two men compete in a rubber match when both were at the height of their powers.
Coming into UFC 148 in 2012, Faber had just turned 33 years old and came off a defeat of Brian Bowles in a UFC bantamweight title eliminator. The title was Cruz's, who was a healthy 27 at the time. His last loss? A 2007 featherweight bout in the defunct WEC, to a champion by the name of Faber.
All the pieces were in place when the news came that Cruz had torn his ACL and was out of the match. Faber was moved over to face Renan Barao at UFC 149. Barao beat Faber by decision for the interim belt.
As it happens, it was the first in a series of serious injuries that kept Cruz out of action for years, competing (and winning) once in late 2014, then not competing again until facing Faber ex-teammate TJ Dillashaw earlier this month for the title he never lost, which he promptly won.
Given the lingering bad blood between Cruz and Faber, a rubber match might still be possible. But with Faber now pushing 37, it wouldn't have anywhere near the luster it would have had in 2012. Ah, what could have been.
Scott Harris writes about MMA for Bleacher Report. For more, follow Scott on Twitter.
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