The UFC announced that Cain Velasquez is out of UFC 180 with a right knee injury. As a result, Mark Hunt is stepping in to replace him to face Fabricio Werdum for the interim Heavyweight title.
The knee injury suffered by Velasquez occurred during training on October 16th or 17th. According to MMA Fighting, he will have surgery on his right knee on Thursday. The article states that Dana White hopes that Velasquez will be able to return by March.
Velasquez and Werdum served as coaches on TUF Latin America which was to culminate in their fight on November 15th.
The UFC announced that customers can request a refund for the event due to Cain’s injury.
Payout Perspective:
Another marquee fighter beset by injury causing a substitution to a main event. Velasquez’s injury is a blow for the event as he was a key for the Mexico City audience. It’s clear that the substitution will affect the PPV buy rate. The injury is a disappointment considering the sellout and the fact that the UFC had partnered with Fathom Events to have the event in movie theaters. In his place, Mark Hunt gets the opportunity against Werdum.
This was a huge blow… on the promotional side of things everything was being built ENTIRELY around Cain–at least in México. They are lucky that Werdum’s Spanish is actually surprisingly good, he is likable and will have to step up because people that bought tickets are pissed & confused since this rarely happens with Boxing events.
Can’t believe Cain can keep the title! He should be stripped with the winner of this fight getting the belt
These new UFC champs are built of glass. Miss the days of Liddell and Couture. With this kind of injury rate I don’t know how the UFC can keep fan trust.
No, this isn’t something that is just happening in 2014 – it’s a sign of things to come. Unless of course, the UFC can intervene in training somehow.
And fighters are being paid peanuts hahahaha…
Anybody know how many “official” fights were cancelled/changed in 2013 and 2014?
@Leon The Championship changes i think was 9 for the year including this
Wow and that’s just championship. I bet if you look at the whole roster it’s 50+. This is just another reason why they have to ditch TUF. Throw it in the alley and shoot it already. Pettis and Cain just wasted 9 months filming TUF. Yes they were injured part of the time but they could of both fought sooner than they are scheduled to. Now Cain has to sit out another 6 – 9 months with a new injury. I’ll laugh if the same happens to Pettis.
More LeontheSchmo bullshit. This situation will be reversed in 2015 and you will be coming up for another spin on why their ppv numbers are over 6 million buys again. You act like the previous 20 years in the ufc, this happen.
i have mentioned in the past that fighter injuries in the UFC are not flukes but will become the norm simply because there are two many weapons used in MMA. What the UFC has to do is pay these fighters better so that all they have to do is fight twice a year and become multi millionaires. If they dont these guys will ultimately quit the sport. Why will they kill themselves for 300,000 dollars a fight? Boxing stars only fight twice a year for a reason. they get to pace themselves, but you can only do that if you get paid well. They also shouldnt take more than two months to build up fights. Just get these guys in the octagon. To much training means more injuries and continual fight cancellations. This will piss fans off. You can announce next months ppv’s at the end of a current ppv and surprise the fans.
Why the hell does Hunt get the call? This guy stinks. The only time he wins is when fighters are willing to trade with him.
Fightbusiness, your comments are comical. The guys at the top ONLY fight 2x per year and they are multi millionaires. This was just a really bad year for injuries. The training camps are the same for the fighters also regardless if they are on TUF or not. They are typically 8-10 weeks.
Dana White said last year was a bad year for injuries also. Weidman, Silva, Jon Jones, cain. They guys all got hurt training. Has Boxing ever had so many elite level fighters getting hurt in the same year? More weapons equals more injuries. If cain knew he was going to make 9 million dollars trust me his ass would be fighting. You cant have a hardcore 8 week training camp in MMA. Its too dangerous. Just let Dana know when you are healthy to fight and one month later you will be on a ppv or free tv. Thats the only model that will work.
D for Delusional it’s still clear as mud to you huh? Everyone can see it but you!
Fighter injuries, like FB said, are NOT A FLUKE. They are the norm, and have been for a year or two. With training becoming more advanced, and fighters becoming more well rounded, this is just the path a UFC fighter is on. It’s about time the UFC stepped in and changed some things whether it’s marketing or implementing a corporate training policy, especially for champs.
How much money has the UFC lost from injured fighters? Millions? Who knows. How many fans have they lost from injuries, countless. You should go read some of the depression and misery at mmafighting, and other MMA sites.
Injuries ain’t goin nowhere.
Leon the Schmo back at it again. No one agrees with you other than your troll brethren, dummy.
This NEVER happened before anywhere near to this degree. They are the norm to troll minded idiots like yourself. Give me an example from 1 of the prior 20 years where it happened anywhere near to this degree. You can’t.
Delusional.
Fightbusiness, where do you get your information from? It seems like you just make things up out of thin air. Chris Weidman fought both fights he had scheduled against Anderson Silva last year, he did not miss a fight. Same goes for Jon Jones, Velasquez and Anderson Silva. You just literally made that up. You are asking if boxing has ever had this many injuries, well, why don’t you ask yourself if the ufc has ever had anywhere near this many injuries. And the answer without question is no.
So much for mexico being the new New York hahahahaha I guess once all the steroids wear off these fighters are getting hurt more. But don’t worry folks 2015 will be a great year according to morons like D hahahahahah
Saldaqueef sucking more Arum dick. Bobbi’s got him running all around faging it up like the little diaper wearing, geriatric homo he is.
Hey D for Delusional it really is hard talking sense to a delusional person but I’ll try, just for fun. In no way shape or form, are injuries guaranteed to be any LESS in 2015.
It’s been brought up to you several times but you keep ignoring it – for obvious reasons. For all we know, 2015 could be worse! I don’t care if it hasn’t been this bad in the past – the UFC has never been this watered down and diluted in the past either. This is what happens when no plan B is available due to over-saturation. UFC 180 just went to 220k ppv buys. UFC ppv is like boxing now – only the main event is good. Just like a house of cards, when the main event falls, so does the rest of the card. UFC PPV used to be much stronger than this. UFC 151 really started it all.
This is GREAT to see happen
Bottom line is I was going to buy that fight but now I’m not. I like Mark Hunt, he’s a fun exciting fighter, seems like a great guy and I love his back story, but Mark Hunt (on a few weeks notice) v. Werdum for the Interim HW Title is not a fight that I’m paying $65 for. If Hunt had a full training camp, then maybe.
The Mexican fans aren’t going to be happy either. They paid to see Velasquez.
This is disappointing for both UFC and the fans.
Maybe Cain shouldn’t have his super-racist “Brown Pride” tattoo.
How low class.
Only good thing about Cain and his giant racist “Brown Pride” tattoo is that it’s easy to read cause he is so damn pale.
Chang your a dumbass
HAHA Leon the Schmo back again with his idiocies. This summarizes your idiotic logic: “I don’t care if it hasn’t been this bad in the past”. Right, you prefer to go with the delusions your idiotic brain manufactures. This is what a delusional troll does- they cherry pick statistics to such an absurd level, (every objective person witnessing their comments realizes how irrational they are) where they look at 21 years of a companies existence, pick 1 year out and claim it is going to be this way from here on out with zero evidence to support their crazy theories.
You are saying it is more watered down now than ever? Where is the evidence to support your idiot theory? They have had right around the same amount of shows since they went to FOX which happened back in late 2011. Why didn’t they have all of those injuries in 2012 or 2013? Why in 2013 did Velasquez, Jones, Weidman, Silva, GSP, Aldo, Barao, Johnson and Rousey all fight 2x that year other than Johnson who fought 3x, halfwit? The only title holder who didn’t fight at least 2x last year was Pettis who has a long history of injury problems. This debunks your entire stupid argument and proves you are nothing more than a troll.
Actually, I take that back, Pettis did fight 2x in 2013, so every title holder fought at least 2x in 2013 where they had roughly the same amount of shows. Now who is delusional?
B+ for that spin. Talk about cherry picking – 21 years in business? What a joke. The UFC’s main phase of business has been 2005 to now, which is really 9 comparable years.
“You are saying it is more watered down now than ever? Where is the evidence”
It’s everywhere, both subjective and objective. Go look at comment boards on mma sites and see the numerous complaints from fans. Look at PPV sales and declining TV ratings. FS1 proved they could do decent #s with their first UFN (and others), yet they can’t maintain those #s. One of those reasons is lack of interest due to product dilution. Fans have proven they will watch the right fight. Even much of MMA media argues over-saturation.
If you got out of your hole and weren’t delusional, you could see all this. But, I think you can… you just have fun with us playing devil’s advocate to a delusional degree.
Tell you what, if UFC gets back to 6M ppvs in 2015 I’ll change my name to LeontheSchmoe. If it doesn’t’, your name is DforDelusional. Deal?
HAHA!! What’s funny is that even your bullshit spin STILL proves me right. So let’s say there are 9 comparable years. Then why did those prior 8 years not have this level of injuries? Uh…..Crickets…… It is amazing that you can’t see how absurd what you just said is.
In terms of questioning the watered down argument, I was talking about why is that any different from the prior two years: 2012 and 2013, where there were an equal amount of bouts. You don’t have an answer for that because it debunks your entire moronic theory that no one agrees with you on in relation to those two given years. So again, I’ll await your response that you continue to dodge, why with all of that watered down product from the two years prior, were there no major injuries to ANY of the champions to the degree that they missed a fight? More crickets……….
No one is more delusional than you. Everything you state on here is a cherry picked or fabricated claim that is only agreed upon by the moronic trolls on here who can’t tell their thumb from their dick. If I’m so delusional, why don’t you address my questions instead of dodging them and cherry picking more stats? Probably because you know they prove you are full of shit. You are clueless.
You would never go through with it because you are a cowardly moron.
“were there no major injuries to ANY of the champions to the degree that they missed a fight?” I meant towards 2013. 2012 had a few, but was no more than a fraction of what happened in 2014.
“You would never go through with it because you are a cowardly moron.”
Is that your best spinster? I stand by my bet, the only reason you wont’ accept is because you know the UFC won’t sell 6 MIL now your foots in your mouth!
“This situation will be reversed in 2015 and you will be coming up for another spin on why their ppv numbers are over 6 million buys again”
Everyone on here can see now your full of shit. You can’t even back your statement.
2012 had less fights than 2013 and 2013 has less fights than 2014 so you are grasping at thin air now.
2012 Total fights 341
2013 Total fights 386
2014 >
I stay winning, D for Delusional loses. Get ready to change that name to DforDelusional lol.
Leon is lighting up that troll D once again. Good work
So Leontheschmo,
Hey idiot, 2012 had 1 fewer fight card than 2013, and so far this year, there has been just about as many as there were in those prior two years. So explain to me how there has been a drastic difference in fights and why in 2013 after having as you acknowledged more fights than they did in 2012, they had less injuries in 2013. Also, then why they went from having zero championship fights scrapped in 2013 where they had 33 fight cards up significantly from a few years prior to the FOX deal where they typically had less than 20 cards. You can’t and it debunks your idiotic, and pathetic theory.
Also, just so you know, 6 million buys is a very big number. They are going to do under 4m this year. I’ll take your bet for anything over 5m buys for 2015 and I know you will pussy out on it. If you don’t accept it, you are just admitting you were wrong, because if the ufc has anywhere near the type of injuries they had this year, they won’t even come close to 5m.
Leontheschmo keeps losing with his cherry picked stats and idiotic, manufactured theories. He hates reality and will acknowledge if he has the balls that he is LeontheSchmo.
Jack is too stupid to realize he is a troll and he along with his idiotic side kick who is probably the same person anyway just using another alias, he just makes himself look like a moron everytime he posts because he doesn’t know shit about this or any other sport. These guys are trolls that like to call other people out on trolling. What morons.
I had been waiting to see Velasquez in Mexico city for a long time. Got tickets as soon as I had heard and booked a flight to Mexico city from Canada. Now I hear Cain can’t fight and Diego Sanchez opponent has been switched twice. I have never been so disappointed by the ufc ever. Now we are left with pieces of what was to be an event. I think this event should be cancelled and refunded.
Classic D for Delusional reply. I just listed the total fights for 2012 and 2013 AFTER you claimed the past 3 years have been equal, this is why your delusional.
“In terms of questioning the watered down argument, I was talking about why is that any different from the prior two years: 2012 and 2013, where there were an equal amount of bouts. ” -DforDelusional
2014 has even more bouts planned than those years (most ever), which definitely supports the watered down theory and all the fan/media backlash, which you are spinning away from now in D for Delusional style.
“This situation will be reversed in 2015 and you will be coming up for another spin on why their ppv numbers are over 6 million buys again”
VS
“Also, just so you know, 6 million buys is a very big number. They are going to do under 4m this year. I’ll take your bet for anything over 5m buys for 2015”
Wow your faith in the UFC is fading REAL FAST lol. Your confidence dropped by 1M buy rates in the span of a couple of posts, and now you are indirectly admitting UFC PPV is on the decline… you usually just preach a bad business year. I see your fading DforDelusional. You should’ve just stuck to your guns.
This is amazing how stupid you are. Whenever someone makes a claim and wants to be taken seriously they attempt to validate it with evidence. In your case, you are giving an example as I stated that is completely cherry picked and everytime I point out why, you backtrack, alter your angle, and dismiss the evidence I am presenting. This example I am going to give completely debunks everything you are stating and I know for a fact you will dismiss this again because in blows such a gaping hole in your bullshit, idiotic argument:
I am going to state this as clear as day and I am going to watch you avoid this statement: there is no direct correlation to the INCREDIBLY HIGH NUMBER of injuries in 2014 being directly related to the expansion of fight cards they have had this year. Of course any time you have more fights available there is going to be a slightly higher risk of having injuries, just because there are more opportunities. But again this is where you fail miserably- you are exaggerating beyond recognition the percentage of injuries estimations for future year’s events. The amount of injuries in 2014 was does not go on par with prior year’s headlining injuries in a per capita based analysis. This was a skyrocketing number for 2014, where they have had basically an equal number of fight cards so far this year than they did the year prior and didn’t have one injury that scrapped or altered a card from the title holder’s of 2013. That alone debunks what you are stating. You have no argument for that other than to avoid it. There were 15 cards last year with title fights headlining them last year alone with no injuries, back prior to 2005, they typically only had 5 fight cards, now explain to me why from prior to 2005 there were 10 more major fight cards in 2013, which was “watered down” and there were no significant injuries. Explain to me why the UFC NEVER saw injuries anywhere even remotely close to this in 2014 from past years? There were never anymore than a few fight cards scrapped or altered in a calendar year, in 2014 there were at least 7 major fight card’s headliners that were either altered or scrapped. I don’t have the time to look up every year’s injuries, but that percentage is inconsistent with past years and proves your evidence holds zero water. It does prove that you are an idiotic troll who can’t accept the reality that he is a overwhelmingly delusional, biased moron who is dead wrong.
HAHAHAHAHA!!! I think they are going to do 6m buys, but I wouldn’t say I am 100% certain they are like I am that they will do at least 5m. You are saying however that you are positive the number of injuries will continue to plague cards, the ufc ppv industry is falling apart, yet you won’t bet that they will go under 5m? HAHAHA!!! Thanks for proving my point that you would pussy out. It just goes to show what little confidence YOU have in your bullshit theory. If your analysis was correct, the UFC would do around what they are going to do this year which is probably somewhere around 3 million buys, now why with all those watered down shows and injuries should they be able to get anywhere near 5? Ooops. Thanks for proving my point, I guess you do believe that the ufc ppv industry is still strong despite all of those “watered down” cards coming up.
I read all these comments without reading one word of D’s comments.
It is clear as day she is getting abused here. Just so clear…
It is amusing which alias Pink Pig/Sampson/Tops is going to use next.
The more desperate DforDelusional gets, the more words she writes. I’m not here to read an essay, nor did I. When, or if, you have a point, get it across efficiently like the rest of us do.
I stay winning = DforDelusional loses. 6M to 5M to back tracking and stuttering.
Oh yea, as for the bet, I’ll meet you in the middle. Since you backtracked BLATANTLY here for everyone to see, I’ll do 5.5M ppv buys for 2015 , according to what payout has on their BlueBook.
DforDelusional has a nice ring to it.
Hahahahahaha. Look at pathetic Leontheschmo dodge the point. I knew he would coward out of the deal. 5m buys=very few, if any injuries to main eventers and he can’t accept it.
Leon, your entire argument is this injury pattern is here to stay, if that is the case, then there is NO WAY, the UFC will hit 5million buys. Even if they only have half of the injuries they had this year, they still probably won’t hit 5m buys, yet you coward away from that number. I guess you aren’t very confident in your theory. HAHAHA!!
2014- unprecedented year for injuries in the ufc, which will never happen again, even if they expand more. Only, stupid, boxing troll, ass clowns that have no concept of the business or sport side of mma works, make these idiotic claims.
Ironic, because no one is more delusional than Leontheschmo.
Oh and mmapayout does not have anything about 2015’s projected ppv numbers on their blue book. I guess your delusions are kicking in again and you are fabricating things because you realize how incredibly wrong and idiotic you are.
You dfor dummy I meant referring to the blue book at end of 2015, was making things clear re; rules but that’s not possible for you is it?
So 6M buys now your chickening out when I gave you a fair offer at 5.5?
You started with that # not me, no more excuses.
“This situation will be reversed in 2015 and you will be coming up for another spin on why their ppv numbers are over 6 million buys again”– DForDelusional
HAHAHAHAHA!! Leontheschmo, I knew you were going to cut and run like the coward you are. No more excuses. You started with a number too, because you said 2014 was going to continue. You are just too stupid to follow your own bullshit you idiot.
“No, this isn’t something that is just happening in 2014 – it’s a sign of things to come.”
-Leontheschmo. I guess he is too stupid to realize what he is implying here.
” In no way shape or form, are injuries guaranteed to be any LESS in 2015.”
PPV buys thus far this year in the ufc according to mmapayout blue book: 2.22m, most likely will not go even near 4m buys.
Leontheschmo dodges a 5 m buy bet. He is too stupid to realize he just proved his idiotic theory wrong.
This argument was completely over and buried when d ran away from his 6m claim.
More like this argument was over the second that dumbass opened his mouth and claimed the injury level of 2014 would continue.
Jack, isn’t your boyfriend concerned about you cheating on him with Leon?
D for delusional loses as usual. Can’t wait to quote him when UFC does *cough* 6M PPVs next year.
HAHA!!! Leontheschmo is a coward who won’t stand by his statements. Can’t wait until next year, when the ufc goes back to normal and has only a fraction of the injuries they sustained this year.
What bullshit are you going to fabricate next moron?