Ben Rothwell injured, ousted from UFC 203

UFC heavyweight contender Ben Rothwell has been forced out of next month’s UFC 203 co-main event fight with Fabricio Werdum.

The report states that the promotion is actively seeking a replacement to keep Werdum, a former UFC heavyweight champion, on the September 10 card from Cleveland’s Quicken Loans Arena.

Rothwell (36-10) has gone 6-4 over his UFC career, but was recently bested by former champion Junior dos Santos after four consecutive wins. A member of his team stated that Rothwell suffered a torn meniscus and possible ACL injury.

Werdum (20-6-1) dropped the title to Stipe Miocic earlier this year in Brazil. He is 8-3 over two stints with the UFC.

Miocic is set to make his first defense on the card in his home state against top challenger Alistair Overeem.

The UFC is seeking a replacement for ex-champ Fabricio Werdum(20-6-1 MMA, 8-3 UFC) for the event, which takes place Sept. 10 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland.

The originally planned matchup was slated to co-headline the event’s pay-per-view main card, which follows prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass. UFC officials have yet to announce Rothwell’s withdrawal.

Both Rothwell and Werdum sought to rebound from recent setbacks in the octagon. Rothwell, the No. 7 ranked fighter in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA heavyweight rankings, won four straight to climb the divisional ranks, only to suffer a lopsided decision loss to ex-champ Junior Dos Santos at UFC Fight Night 86.

Werdum, meanwhile, sits at No. 2 and seeks to redeem himself after a first-round knockout loss at UFC 198 to now-champ Stipe Miocic, who headlines UFC 203 opposite Alistair Overeem.

Category: Mixed Martial Arts