Friday weigh-ins for the UFC 180 main event will soon be a thing of the past, which means the interim heavyweight title bout between Fabricio Werdum and Mark Hunt is just hours away from taking place.
It’s not the showdown that was expected for so long, with current title holder Cain Velasquez pulling out of the card that would have been his third consecutive title defense attempt due to injury. That allowed Hunt to slide into Saturday’s fight, but it will only mean the winner will be crowned “interim” title winner and will still have to go through Velasquez later to fully win the title.
But with Dana White suggesting the title could be stripped from Velasquez if he can’t fight by March, according to MMAFighting.com, this bout very well could prove decisive regarding the hierarchy of the heavyweight division.
Werdum possesses a fantastic all-around game that got him his first-ever title shot and has him as a -420 favorite, according to Odds Shark. But don’t sleep on Hunt, who is an overwhelming +432 underdog.
Here’s everything you need to know for Saturday’s fight.
When: Saturday, November 15, 2014
Where: Arena Ciudad de Mexico, Mexico City
Start Time: 10 p.m. ET
Watch: UFC.tv pay-per-view
UFC 180 Main Event: Can Hunt Thwart Werdum’s Fate?
Respecting your opponent is one of the first traits to a successful fighter, but even Werdum has to be feeling the least bit disheartened after seeing Velasquez—the opponent he had been working toward for many years—have to drop out of their fight less than a month before.
But the date is still on, and Werdum will still have his chance to win the heavyweight title. He more than likely will still have to go through Velasquez, but first things first—a fight Saturday for a chance to face Velasquez.
It may be an interim heavyweight title fight, but both fighters are pretty new to this huge stage. Taking Velasquez out of this Mexico City fight undoubtedly hurts the overall pull of the card, but the high stakes on the line should make for a memorable fight.
As Velasquez has stepped out of the spotlight, Werdum has seemed to generate a bevy of interest as he emerges as the new crowd favorite, per Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com:
But for all of the hype and talking points, Werdum is still going to have to go out and walk the walk against Hunt—a fighter who may not have completely earned a title chance but has gone up against many of the big boys.
He’s had success against some of them, defeating Stefan Struve and Cheick Kongo through technical knockouts and fighting to a whirlwind draw with Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva some 11 months ago—Silva later failed a post-fight drug test.
However, Hunt has faced a tough battle entering Saturday to shed the more than 30 pounds necessary to fight Werdum—not insurmountable for a fighter until you take into account the three weeks Hunt has had to prepare under short notice.
The 40-year-old Hunt isn’t lost on the implications for this fight, knowing the winner will still have to take things up with Velasquez. But he’s ready to take his opportunity by the horns, per MMAFighting.com’s Shaun Al-Shatti:
[This is for] the No. 1 spot. [Werdum] already had this. He was fighting Cain for this spot. He was fighting Cain for the world title until a couple days ago. This is my time to take his spot.
(But) it’s not a title. The only belt I want to put around this waist is the UFC champion’s belt, and that’s the one that Cain’s got. So if I win on Saturday night, that won’t be going around my waist. I’ll be holding it (on my shoulder). The only belt I want around this waist is the championship belt, and Cain’s got that belt.
Hunt is going up against a number of strong forces—a battle to make weight and a peaking Werdum with fate on his side only being a few. But the experienced heavyweight fighter has been an overwhelming underdog before. If he wins on Saturday, it won’t be the first time, either, that he has overcome the odds.
But with a title—at least an interim one—on the line, it will be uncharted territory for both Hunt and Werdum. Whoever can respond by playing their game will earn a fight with Velasquez when he returns to health.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com