The UFC heavyweight title fight rematch between reigning champion Fabricio Werdum and former champion Cain Velasquez has finally been made official for UFC 196 in Las Vegas.

UFC President Dana White broke the news Wednesday night during an interview with UFC Total.

Werdum (20-5-1) earned his belt after submitting Velasquez in their initial meeting UFC 188 in Mexico City this past June. He previously earned his shot at the belt after rattling off four straight wins inside the Octagon, which included victories over Antiono ‘Minotauro’ Nogueira and Travis Browne.

Velasquez and Werdum were then supposed to do battle over Velasquez’s belt at UFC 180 before an injury forced the then champion of the card. Werdum would go on to defeat Velasquez’s replacement Mark Hunt by way of second round TKO, earning the interim heavyweight title in the process.

For Velasquez (13-2), his loss Werdum marked his first appearance inside the Octagon since decimating long time rival Junior dos Santos with a violent fifth round TKO at UFC 166 in October 2013. Following this bout, the former Arizona State wrestling All-American was sidelined with a shoulder injury for the several months, before finally pulling out his fight with Werdum after tearing his meniscus.

UFC 196 is currently scheduled to take palce February 6 in Las Vegas. A venue has yet to be named.

About The Author

News Manager

José began his career as a mixed martial arts journalist while still enrolled at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communications at Arizona State University. Since graduating in May 2013, he has attended dozens of high profile UFC fight cards as a credentialed member of the media, providing live cage side coverage through his articles and videos. His work has appeared on UFC.com, ArizonaSports.com and AZCentral. He is also currently one of the main contributors on Power MMA Show at Arizona Sports 98.7 FM, one of the first all MMA radio shows on a major radio station.