Cain Velasquez Injures Knee, Mark Hunt Substitutes to Contest Interim Title Against Fabricio Werdum

Life really begins at 40; especially for Ultimate Fighting Champion (UFC) fan favourite Mark Hunt. The New Zealander was tapped to replace reigning heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez, who has to undergo surgery Thursday to repair a torn MCL.

Velasquez complained of discomfort last weekend when he was training for his fight in Mexico versus Fabricio Werdum. The diagnosis that he had to go under the knife ended his dream of a big fight. His training team also revealed that the current champion had been dealing with a torn meniscus for some time now and was even planning to continue with the Werdum bout despite his medical condition. However, given to the gravity of the knee injury, the reigning champ had no other option but to use the time off to regain his strength and come back even better.

The said mishap opened the opportunity for Hunt. The UFC immediately made contingencies and created an interim heavyweight title which shall now be contested by Hunt and Werdum. Thought he UFC has long dismissed the fighter due to his dismal showing in recent fights, it scrambled to provide a show in just three weeks' time and immediately tapped the former K1 World Grand Prix kickboxing champion.

"I said yes before he even got the question out," Hunt told Yahoo Sports on Tuesday. "You don't say no to this kind of opportunity, this is an amazing opportunity and even though I'm not in fight shape or anything, there was never a doubt I was going to take it."

Hunt speculated that he might be in the 138 or 140 kilograms range yet he just relishes the prospect of scoring an upset over Werdum. The challenger Werdum has already stated that all he cares about is the belt and not the opponent and would not mind the filling in of Hunt. The Brazilian revealed that he is already ready to go whether it's Velasquez or Hunt and cleared that as long as there is a title on the line, he is satisfied. The contest for the interim heavyweight championship belt is still underway Nov. 15 at Mexico City.