the second round, becoming the new UFC interim Heavyweight Champion. The win also earned Werdum his first Performance of the Night bonus award. A rescheduled bout with Velasquez took place on 13 June 2015, at UFC 188 in Mexico City. In a back-and-forth affair, Werdum won the fight in the third round by guillotine choke submission. The win earned Werdum his second consecutive Performance of the Night bonus award. With the victory, Werdum unified the UFC's heavyweight titles and became the undisputed champion. Subsequently, Werdum signed a new, eight-fight contract with the UFC. Losing the Heavyweight Championship A rematch with Velasquez was expected to take place on 6 February 2016, at UFC Fight Night 82. However, Velasquez pulled out of the bout due to a back injury on 23 January and was replaced by Stipe Miocic. On the following day, Werdum announced that he was pulling out of the event due to an injury as well. The bout with Miocic was rescheduled and took place on 14 May 2016, at UFC 198. Werdum lost the fight via knockout in the first round after rushing in with an attempted flurry of punches and was caught with a counter right hook, suffering his first defeat since June 2011. Post-title Werdum was expected to face Ben Rothwell on 10 September 2016 at UFC 203. However, Rothwell pulled out of the fight on 11 August citing a knee injury and was replaced by former opponent Travis Browne. Werdum won the fight by unanimous decision. After the bout, Travis' coach Edmond Tarverdyan angrily confronted Werdum, who push kicked the coach in the chest and raise his hands to defend himself. This resulted in both fighter corners having to get involved to separate the two men. No disciplinary action was taken against Werdum for the incident. Werdum was expected to face Cain Velasquez in a rematch at UFC 207 on 30 December 2016. However the Nevada State Athletic Commission failed to approve Velasquez to fight, determining after physical examinations and interviews that he was unfit to compete. The bout with Ben Rothwell was rescheduled and expected to take place on 13 May 2017 at UFC 211. The bout was canceled due to Rothwell failing a drug test. A third fight with Alistair Overeem took place on 8 July 2017 at UFC 213. Although coming close to finishing Overeem in the third round, Werdum lost the bout