Pic: Cain Velasquez shoulder surgery 'went well' as Fabricio Werdum lets out a sigh of relief

I guess he had a change of heart.

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez is happy that his shoulder surgery to repair an injury suffered in his most recent title defense against Junior dos Santos "went well," as he looks forward to a 2014 return.

But probably not as happy as division number one contender Fabricio Werdum.

"Vai Cavalo" has (voluntarily) been riding the pine since submitting Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in their UFC on FUEL TV 10 rematch last June in Brazil. He's widely-considered the next in line for a crack at the crown, just as soon as the champ is all patched up and ready to go.

Based on today's update, that looks to be sooner, rather than later.

Werdum (17-5) scratched and clawed his way to the top by winning three-straight fights against opponents who are, or at the time he fought them, were in the top-10 of his division. Velasquez (13-1), meanwhile, avenged the only loss of his career at UFC 155 before finally sending "Cigano" to the back of the line at UFC 166 last October.

Though this is not the first time he's gone under the knife.

No word yet on when or where these two will eventually hook 'em up, but this new locale seems to be the front runner.

Stay tuned.