Werdum had no say in UFC 203 replacement, wants title shot next

When Ben Rothwell had to pull out of his fight with Fabricio Werdum at UFC 203 due to injury, the UFC wasted little time finding Werdum a replacement.

"Vai Cavalo" will face Travis Browne instead in the heavyweight co-main event. Werdum already best Browne in a decision in 2014 before becoming the interim, then undisputed division champion. Since the Brazilian is coming off a knockout loss to Stipe Miocic that cost him the title, he didn't care who the UFC tapped to replace Rothwell.

"The important thing is that I’m fighting," Werdum said, according to MMAjunkie's Fernanda Prates. "I never had that option of picking an opponent. The UFC said it was Travis Browne, I said yes, signed the contract and sent it already. Whether it was Ben Rothwell or Derrick Lewis – it could have been anyone. I just wanted to fight at the same event as Miocic and Overeem."

Derrick Lewis and Stefan Struve were chomping at the bit for a shot at Werdum as soon as news of Rothwell's injury broke, but Struve is expected to fight Ruslan Magomedov at UFC 204 in October, while Lewis is rumored to face Marcin Tybura in Manila.

If Werdum had been given a say, he would've much rather preferred a chance to win the belt back, but he's happy to settle for a top-10 opponent in Browne.

"The fair thing would actually be the rematch (against Miocic), because I’m the first in the UFC rankings and Miocic is the only one above me. So you can’t really say anyone else is 'fair,'" Werdum said. "The important thing is fighting a top-10. So there’s not much to say.

"I think Browne has a strong name, he’s well-known, I fought him once and I think I have a slight advantage because I won. I won’t rely on that thought too much, though, because I know there are no easy fights in the UFC."

"Vai Cavalo" handily bested Browne in their first fight, and expects more of the same this time around, but he'll be aiming for a finish, which he hopes will give the promotion incentive to make him the next challenger for the division crown.

"Since I’m the first in the UFC rankings, I think a win will give me the opportunity to fight for the belt," Werdum added. "I think it will be important how this fight goes down. It’s important that I finish as soon as possible, put on a spectacular fight like the last one. That should give me this chance to fight for the belt."

Werdum will face Browne at UFC 203 on Sep. 10 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.