Let’s try this again.
It looks like another heavyweight bout has been added to the UFC 211 card set for May 13 inside the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heavyweight title holder Fabricio Werdum will go one-on-one with Ben Rothwell.
Combate reported the match-up, which “Big Ben” had said was likely his next bout.
“Vai Cavalo” and Rothwell were originally set to face-off at UFC 203 back in Sept. 2016. Rothwell went down with an injury and Werdum ended up beating Travis Browne in a rematch.
Since returning to the UFC, Werdum has been on a roll. He was on a six-fight winning streak that spanned from Feb. 2012 through June 2015. In that time, he captured the interim and undisputed heavyweight championships.
Werdum was set to meet Cain Velasquez, who was champion at the time, at UFC 180. Velasquez pulled out with an injury, so Werdum fought Mark Hunt for the interim title. “Vai Cavalo” blasted Hunt with a flying knee. The fight was stopped after some followup punches.
Werdum would go head-to-head with Velasquez at UFC 188 in a unification bout in Mexico City. To the surprise of many, Werdum got the better of his opponent standing. Velasquez was getting tagged a few times so he went for a takedown in the third round. It was his downfall as Werdum locked in a guillotine choke to become the undisputed heavyweight champion.
The streak came to an end when “Vai Cavalo” was knocked out by Stipe Miocic, losing his title in the process.
Rothwell was also on a streak. He had won four straight after being submitted by Gabriel Gonzaga back in Jan. 2013. He finished all of his opponents in that stretch. His victims included Brandon Vera, Alistair Overeem, Matt Mitrione, and Josh Barnett.
Junior dos Santos put a stop to the streak in a dominant performance over “Big Ben.” Rothwell will find himself right back in the mix with a win over a former champion.
A heavyweight title bout between Miocic and dos Santos is set to headline UFC 211.
