A matchup between former WEC lightweight champion Jamie Varner and undefeated 155-pounder Kamal Shalorus, scheduled for the “WEC 48: Aldo vs. Faber” pay-per-view main card on April 24, is off due to an undisclosed injury suffered by Shalorus.

Varner will not face a replacement opponent at WEC 48 and is instead be on standby should lightweight title-holder Ben Henderson or challenger Donald Cerrone, who meet in the WEC 48 co-headliner, be forced to withdraw.

Former WEC lightweight champion Jamie Varner will look to bounce back when he likely returns to action against undefeated 155-pounder Kamal Shalorus at “WEC 48: Aldo vs. Faber,” World Extreme Cagefighting’s pay-per-view debut which takes place on April 24 in Sacramento, California.

Former lightweight champion Jamie Varner, who lost the title to Ben Henderson on Sunday after suffering a third-round submission in the WEC 46 main event, injured his foot and knee in the loss and was among six fighters who received 180 day medical suspensions from the California State Athletic Commission on Monday.

Also suspended for 180 days were Kamal Shalorus, Dave Jansen, Charlie Valencia, Will Campuzano, and Coty Wheeler.

Former featherweight champions Urijah Faber ($52,000) and Mike Brown ($38,000) topped the $272,000 payroll for Sunday’s “WEC 46: Varner vs. Henderson”, according to figures released Monday by the California State Athletic Commission, while main event winner and lightweight champion Ben Henderson earned $22,000 and former title-holder Jamie Varner took home $18,000.

A pair of submissions highlighted Sunday’s WEC 46 event in Sacramento, California, as Ben Henderson choked out Jamie Varner in the main event to become the undisputed WEC lightweight champion, while former featherweight champ Urijah Faber tapped Raphael Assuncao in the WEC 46 co-headliner.

All twenty fighters scheduled to be in action at tomorrow’s “WEC 46: Varner vs. Henderson” at the ARCO Arena in Sacramento, California successfully made weight for the Versus-televised event at Friday’s official fighter weigh-ins.

The fight card for World Extreme Cagefighting’s upcoming “WEC 46: Varner vs. Henderson” event is now complete, with the Versus-televised event slated to feature 10 bouts from the ARCO Arena on January 10 in Sacramento, California.

WEC 46 is headlined by lightweight champion Jamie Varner vs. interim title-holder Ben Henderson, and the main card also includes Raphael Assuncao vs. Urijah Faber, Dave Jansen vs. Kamal Shalorus, Mike Brown vs. Anthony Morrison, and Mackens Semerzier vs. Deividas Taurosevicius.

The WEC announced today via it’s official Twitter page that Jamie Varner would defend his lightweight belt against interim lightweight champion Benson Henderson at WEC 46 on January 10. The event is scheduled for the Arco Arena in Sacramento California.

World Extreme Cagefighting is expected to remain in Las Vegas through the end of the year, as the promotion’s rumored WEC 45 event will reportedly take place on December 19 in Sin City, likely at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.

A unification matchup between WEC lightweight champ Jamie Varner, sidelined with injuries since his January title defense over Donald Cerrone, and interim title-holder Ben Henderson is expected to take place in early-2010 in Arizona, both fighter’s home state.

WEC lightweight title-holder Jamie Varner, who’s been sidelined with a broken hand since a January win over Donald Cerrone, is expected to return in December against the winner of Saturday’s WEC 43 fight between Cerrone and Ben Henderson, while Faber, also out with a broken hand suffered in a June loss to Mike Brown, is also likely to return at WEC 45 after recently signing a new multi-fight deal with the promotion.

Tickets for WEC 43: Cerrone vs. Henderson, World Extreme Cagefighting’s recently announced event which is set to take place on September 2 at the Covelli Center in Youngstown, Ohio, will go on sale to the general public on July 9.

WEC newsletter subscribers can purchase tickets one day early on July 8 for the Versus-televised event, which is headlined by an interim lightweight championship bout between Donald Cerrone and Ben Henderson.

For the latest details on Jamie Varner’s injury and the WEC’s title plans continue reading after the jump…

WEC lightweight champion Jamie Varner today announced on Twitter that a broken hand suffered in his January win over Donald Cerrone remains broken, further postponing a rematch between the pair.

“We’re still waiting on the medical reports, but it looks like Varner won’t be fighting in the foreseeable future,” Dave Sholler, a WEC representative, today told Cagewriter. “We’re moving forward with the lightweight division, and we haven’t ruled out an interim belt.”

A rematch between WEC lightweight champion Jamie Varner and contender Donald Cerrone is slated to take place in the fall, according to WEC general manager Reed Harris, who announced the bout at the post-WEC 41 press conference on Sunday.

WEC lightweight champion Jamie Varner and light heavyweight up-and-comer Ryan Bader, teammates at Arizona Combat Sports, are looking to return to action in September following recent injuries.