On January 24th at 7:23 PM, UFC President Dana White broke the news via Twitter that former heavyweight champion Cain Velazquez would be forced to withdraw from the main event at UFC 196, where he was slated for a rematch with the man that took his title in dominant fashion, Fabricio Werdum. The news, while disappointing, is nothing new to fans of the UFC and Cain Velasquez, as he seems to be perpetually injured and unable to compete. However, Dana White had an ace-in-the-hole in Stipe Miocic, that of back to back TKO wins over Mark Hunt and Andrei Arlovski. Following his domination of Arlovski, Miocic was vocal in demanding a title shot, which Dana White conceded that he had earned, although White also indicated that this was due to fear of what Miocic would do should he be denied the shot. Regardless, all seemed to be well with the main event for UFC 196. Then, something strange happened.
Less than 24 hours after White made his announcement regarding Cain and his back injury, Werdum shocked the MMA world by pulling out of the main event, also with a back injury. While it is not unusual of for a fighter to pull out of a matchup, it is almost unheard of for both fighters to pull out of an event, and the circumstances surrounding this particular event make it all the more perplexing. In his remarks following the announcement, Werdum explained that he had been injured for some time, but that he had intended to go ahead with the fight, as long as Velasquez would be the opponent. Upon learning that Miocic would be stepping in on short notice, Werdum decided that it was in his best interest to withdraw, as well. This will inspire a tremendous amount of speculation as to wether or not Werdum is ducking the red-hot Miocic, or if Werdum simply does not want to risk his title against an opponent that he has not been preparing for. This is something that fans can be left to debate, and Miocic’s management has come forth and stated that if Werdum felt he was healthy enough to fight Cain, but will not fight Stipe, that he should be stripped of his title. Dana and company clearly have a lot to work through, but in the immediate future they need to determine if they can salvage the 196 event.
Without the heavyweight championship on the line, UFC 196 is left with Johnny Hendricks vs. Stephen Thompson as the main event. On a card that, in my opinion, was fairly bare to begin with, the UFC is now left to wonder if fans will be willing to shell out $59.99 for a card that is no better than the one that will be offered for free on Fox on January 31st. While canceling an event is drastic, it is not completely unheard of. In 2012, Dan Henderson was forced to withdraw from his potential title fight with Jon Jones. While several fighters threw their names into the ring as potential replacements, Jones declined to take on a new fighter on short notice and UFC 151 was scrapped altogether. While it is very easy to just say that the UFC should pull the plug on the event, there is much more to consider than just the Pay-Per-View numbers.
The UFC must also consider the fans that have purchased tickets and airfare to attend the event in person. No doubt that these fans are already very disappointed with the recent turn of events, but what would the reaction be to a complete cancellation of the event? Consideration must also be given to the fighters on the card, and the under-card, that have been training for months, paying sparring partners and gym fees along the way. Without the payout from the event, these fighters will be out significant amounts of money. It doesn’t help matters that the UFC has restricted sponsorship opportunities for their fighters by signing an exclusive deal with Reebok, which limits the sponsorship money that fighters used to be able to bring in to supplement their fight purses.
So where does the UFC go from here? In my opinion, the UFC needs to roll the dice, bet on their fanbase and move forward with the event. There is too much at stake to completely scrap an event, and there will likely be a large contingent of dedicated fans that will tune in regardless of the recent turn of events. This event will bring up many topics for future debate, though. For starters, what does the UFC brass do with a champion that claims he is healthy enough to fight one fighter, but not another? It is not quite the same as Jones, who declined a replacement fight due to lack of preparation time. Werdum is taking an awkward approach to his announcement, which has drawn loud criticism from fans. Also, is the lack of a suitable co-main event an unfortunate negative consequence of the UFC’s push to put on more events than ever? In December of 2015 alone, there were four events with three titles on the line. To open 2016, the UFC followed up their massive December with another two events and two more title fights. The frequency of offerings has been fantastic for fight fans, but it also raises the question of whether the UFC is watering down cards due to the huge amount of fights that are taking place every month. Obviously Dana White and the Fertitta brothers are very good at what they do and have turned a once struggling promotion into a massive spectacle, but these are questions that will need to be answered. I have no doubt, however, that we will get some responses from Dana White in the near future, as he has shown us that it is not in his nature to remain silent while criticisms about the promotion are aired. It should be noted, as well, that the official UFC website does still list Werdum and Miocic as competing in the main event on February 6th. Is it possible that the UFC is still working through their options regarding Werdum and his injury? Perhaps. But as time is a factor, I would expect some definitive answers in the very near future.
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