Fabricio Werdum and Travis Browne met in the main event of UFC on Fox 11 with a heavyweight title shot on the line.
It would be the Brazilian who came out on top via a unanimous decision.
It was, without question, Werdum’s best performance to date. He took the fight to Browne and displayed his much-improved striking over the course of the evening. Browne will head to the back of the line now as Werdum prepares for Cain Velasquez.
The Twittersphere was into the main event, and this is how they reacted to the five-round battle.
Pre-Fight
Round 1
Browne and Werdum had a fantastic back-and-forth first round. Both men had spurts of offense, but Werdum definitely looked the part of the fresher fighter following the first-round horn. One judge had Browne winning the round, but the majority of media had it for Werdum.
Round 2
Werdum started to run away with the fight in the second round. Browne did not have the same pop in his punches, and Werdum was putting together excellent combinations.
Round 3
The Brazilian continued the onslaught in the third round. Browne was still in the fight, but Werdum was not giving him the opportunities to land the big shot. Werdum seemed to have a decision clinched after the round, but there were still two more rounds for Browne to find a way to win.
Round 4
Werdum seemed to know he was ahead on the scorecards and started to play it safe. This minimized Browne’s chances even more.
Round 5
Werdum closed out the fight with another solid round of action. Browne did not look outclassed, but he did look like he was not a top contender. He needs a bit more development, and this fight will give him plenty to learn from.
Post-Fight
Werdum will now get Velasquez later this year when Velasquez is cleared to fight. On the Fox Sports 2 post-fight show, Werdum stated he would be willing to coach The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America opposite the heavyweight champion. It makes a world of sense.
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