With the UFC changing their original UFC 196 line-up to become UFC Fight Night 82 instead it leaves the promotion needing to add another pay-per-view show somewhere else on the calendar before July in order to ensure that UFC 200 still takes place during International Fight Week in Las Vegas that month.
Now a report from Combate in Brazil suggests that the UFC plans to switch UFC Fight Night 87 on May 14th to become UFC 198.
UFC Fight Night 87 had been expected to be headlined by a middleweight encounter between Vitor Belfort and Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza, but Combate further speculates that it may now be moved to co-main event status, with a heavyweight title fight between Fabricio Werdum and Stipe Miocic featuring as the new headliner.
Werdum won the heavyweight title with a third round submission victory over Cain Velasquez in Mexico, taking the 38 year-old’s unbeaten run to six fights.
With Velasquez out due to a back injury is the logical next choice as the division’s current No.2 contender with an 8-2 record in the UFC to date, most reently including back-to-back TKO wins against Mark Hunt and Andrei Arlovski.
At this stage none of this has been confirmed by the UFC, while as it stands there’s not even an official venue been established for what’s still known at the moment as UFC Fight Night 87, though it is known that it will take place somewhere in Brazil.
