At UFC 188, Fabricio Werdum became only the second Brazilian-born fighter to capture the undisputed UFC heavyweight title, submitting Cain Velasquez in the second round. In the weeks after the fight, Werdum stated his intentions for his first title defense to be in his home country of Brazil.
The UFC tried to accommodate Werdum but it didn't come to fruition, so it booked the rematch against Velasquez for UFC 196 in Las Vegas. Velasquez got hurt in training and was replaced by Miocic. Werdum decided to also bow out of the fight to heal some injuries. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise as Werdum will face Miocic in the main event of Saturday's UFC 198 from the Arena da Baixada in Curitiba, Parana, Brazil.