White: Travis Browne may have broken rib in first against Fabricio Werdum

UFC President Dana White found it curious that Travis Browne seemed to run out of energy midway through the first round of his UFC on FOX 11 headliner, but offered a possible explanation.

"They think he has a broken rib," White said following Saturday's event at Orlando, Fla.'s Amway Center. "And he definitely has a broken hand."

Fabricio Werdum (18-5-1 MMA, 6-2 UFC) dominated Browne (15-2-1 MMA, 6-2-1 UFC) in a title eliminator for a shot at heavyweight champ Cain Velasquez later this year in Mexico. Two of three judges awarded Werdum every round with one awarding Browne the opening frame, likely for an early flurry in which Werdum caught a punch and was forced into survival mode on the mat.

That dicey moment, however, was followed by more than 20 minutes of one-sided action.

Browne never capitulated to the persistent Werdum, but was completely exhausted by the fourth and fifth rounds of the fight. He threw wild haymakers in hopes of earning a stoppage and was stymied by the crisp standup work of Werdum.

UFC officials said Browne was taken to the hospital immediately following the event. Both heavyweights took heavy shots throughout the 25-minute contest, but Browne got the worst of most exchanges. The loss snapped a three-fight win streak for the 31-year-old fighter, who trains with Jackson-Winkeljohn's MMA in Albuquerque, N.M.

Werdum, meanwhile, picked up perhaps his fourth straight win in the UFC and his most significant accomplishment to date. The 36-year-old Brazilian was scheduled to receive a title shot against Velasquez, but was instead booked to fight Browne when the champ injured his shoulder in a title defense against ex-champ Junior dos Santos this past October.

Requests for comment from Browne's reps were unsuccessful.

For complete coverage of UFC on FOX 11, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site.

– John Morgan and Matt Erickson contributed to this report on site in Orlando.