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17th March 2016
09:31am GMT

It will be the first time since 2012 that Velasquez has not been involved in a title fight, with the former champion having reclaimed the belt against Junior dos Santos at UFC 155 before defending it capably against Antonio 'Bigfoot' Silva and dos Santos.
The AKA heavyweight came unstuck, though, against Fabricio Werdum last summer when the Brazilian submitted him in the third round to capture the title.
Velasquez was slated for a rematch with Werdum in February but was forced out of the fight with a back injury for which he has since had successful surgery.
And it is his recurring injuries that have taken him out of the title frame for the time being now that Stipe Miocic has been handed the next crack at Werdum, a bout which headlines UFC 198 in Curitiba, Brazil.
Browne, meanwhile, has had a rocky few years in the Octagon.
'Hapa' has gone 2-2 since 2014, finishing both Brendan Schaub and, most recently, Matt Mitrione but a TKO defeat to Andrei Arlovski and a five-round decision loss to the would-be champion Werdum has limited his momentum.
All it takes is a victory over a massive name like Velasquez, though, to rocket Browne towards a title shot.
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