Fabricio Werdum vs Cain Velasquez immediate UFC Heavyweight title rematch up next

Fabricio Werdum trained seven long, arduous years to become Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Heavyweight champion, which is the reason he requested a little "time off" after he smashed and submitted Cain Velasquez two months ago to win the belt.

Request denied!

Werdum will make his first-ever title defense against the man he defeated at UFC 188 to claim it, Velasquez, "anytime between late 2015 and early 2016," according to FOX Sports.

And it's no "laughing matter," even if Werdum's coach feels his pupil will beat Velasquez "10 out of 10" times.

That's because even though Velasquez refused to make excuses after the lopsided loss, he was clearly not the "cardio machine" who seemingly had a bottomless gas tank (as predicted) in previous matches. He struggled mightily with the elevation in Mexico City, Mexico, not to mention it was his first fight in nearly two years because of various injuries.

Indeed, Velasquez will come back stronger if he does not suffer another physical setback while training for the upcoming rematch. But, he may want to reconsider his traditional go-for-broke, in-your-face approach to fighting -- Werdum hurt him in the stand up and then schooled him on the ground.

In other words, Velasquez's options on paper are seemingly limited after his most recent performance. Whether or not cardio, heart and aggression will help him regain his world title remains to be seen.

And it will be fun to watch again ... while it lasts.