Cain Velasquez injures knee, out for UFC title defense in Mexico

Heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez suffered a right knee injury in training and is withdrawing from his Nov. 15 Ultimate Fighting Championship title defense against top contender Fabricio Werdum in Mexico City.

The UFC will instead stage an interim heavyweight title bout between Brazil’s Werdum (18-5-1) and Mark Hunt (10-8-1), who’s coming off a knockout victory over Roy Nelson in September.

Velasquez (13-1) hasn’t fought since October 2013, when he successfully defended his belt against the only man he’s lost to, Junior Dos Santos.

The son of Mexican immigrants who raised him in Yuma, Ariz., Velasquez was anticipating heading the UFC’s first show in Mexico at Arena Mexico City, a 20,000-seat venue that sold out in eight hours. The UFC is offering refunds from Oct. 28 to Nov. 7.

“I’m so unbelievably disappointed that this happened,” Velasquez said in a statement distributed by the UFC.

“To say I was looking forward to fighting in Mexico for the first time is an understatement. I wanted to fight on that card so bad. Looks like it wasn’t meant to be, and it’s not going to happen. I’m going to get my [right] knee fixed and get back to training as soon as I can. I’m sorry to the fans in Mexico who were expecting this fight, and I hope to be able to come down and still be a part of this historic event.”

Werdum, who trains in Los Angeles and once beat legendary mixed martial artist Fedor Emelianenko, said he’s “ready for whatever comes.”

“I have been training in Mexico for nearly two months and accept the challenge that is presented to me. I’ll continue to prepare and will arrive ready to fight on behalf of all my Latin American fans,” Werdum said in the UFC statement.

Hunt asked, “How can I say no, even though it’s on short notice?

“I’m dropping everything and flying to Mexico [on Wednesday] so I can best prepare myself for this fight. I have to get into shape and acclimatize to that environment, which is really important.

“There’s nothing to lose when you’re competing against the best at the top level.”