UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez and interim titleholder Fabricio Werdum will battle to become the undisputed king of the weight class on Saturday in Mexico. The epic clash is the main event of UFC 188 and one of the more highly anticipated fights of the year.
When
Saturday, June 13 at 6:30 p.m.
Where
Mexico City Arena in Mexico City, Mexico
TV and Live Stream
- UFC Fight Pass for prelims, 6:30 p.m. ET
- FX, 8 p.m. ET
- Pay-per-view for main card, 10 p.m. ET
After missing all of 2014 with injuries, Velasquez returns to the Octagon determined to prove he’s the only heavyweight worthy of wearing gold around his waist. But Werdum has something to say about that. During Velasquez’s absence, the 37-year-old Brazilian established himself as the No. 1 heavyweight in the world not named Cain.
The Velasquez-Werdum clash was originally set for November 2014, but the latest Velasquez injury forced him out of the title defense. Mark Hunt replaced him, and Werdum stopped the rugged veteran with a flying knee to win the interim belt and set up Saturday’s clash.
Werdum already owns one win over a historic opponent. He defeated the legendary Fedor Emelianenko in 2010 while in Strikeforce. Werdum knows what he’s up against with Velasquez, and he seems confident he’ll be victorious. He points to Velasquez’s layoff as a factor.
Per Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports, Werdum said, “I’ve gotten better and improved so much, and he hasn’t fought in two years. It’s going to be pretty hard for him.”
Velasquez is aware of the potential effects of his layoff, but he has seemingly honed in on a bit of trash talk that came from his opponent during the build for the fight. Per the following video from MMA Fighting on YouTube, Velasquez has lost respect for the “two-faced” Werdum because of comments the Brazilian made about his Mexican heritage:
Werdum said he only pointed out that Velasquez wasn’t born in Mexico and that he had spent more time in the country than Velasquez had. Per BJPenn.com, Werdum said Velasquez isn’t “Mexican, Mexican.”
Come Saturday, Werdum will have to tame an aggressive and agitated Velasquez. While it won’t be a popular pick, I’m predicting Werdum shocks the world again and beats Velasquez. As good as Cain is, styles make fights.
Velasquez has never faced a Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner on Werdum’s level. Truth be told, there probably isn’t a fighter in the upper weight classes whose grappling skills compare to Werdum’s. Velasquez is deadly when in top position, but Werdum is likely most dangerous off his back.
Velasquez’s aggression could work against him in this instance.
Also, Werdum’s striking has improved by leaps and bounds over the last five years. He proved that in his unanimous-decision win over Travis Browne and his stoppage victory over Hunt. In a major shock, Werdum will submit Velasquez in the second round to win the undisputed heavyweight title.
The co-main event has Fight of the Night written all over it. Gilbert Melendez and Eddie Alvarez will battle in an important lightweight scrap. Both men came from other organizations with a good amount of hype and sparkling reputations.
Neither man has accomplished what he set out to do since arriving in the UFC. Melendez has had two failed title shots against Benson Henderson and Anthony Pettis, and Alvarez lost his only bout with the promotion to Donald Cerrone. Neither man is in any danger of being released, but the pressure will be on considering the expectations and skill level.
Melendez is extraordinarily well-rounded even though he doesn’t possess dynamic striking power. Alvarez has more pop, but there’s more depth to Melendez’s game. It’s a tough fight to call, as it could go either way, but if money were on the line, I’d take Melendez by split decision in an epic bout.
Both fighters have proved they aren’t afraid to engage in spirited and entertaining brawls. This one could add to the UFC’s catalog of epic fights.
Here’s a look at the rest of the card and predictions for each fight. Just below the predictions table is a closer look at one other intriguing bout from the card.
Cejudo Smash
Henry Cejudo is on a collision course with UFC flyweight champion Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson. He faces two impediments. One is consistently making weight. The other is Chico Camus, his opponent Saturday night.
The latter will likely be easier to overcome.
While Cejudo has made weight for his last two bouts, it’s been a struggle for him throughout his short MMA career. The Olympic gold medalist in freestyle wrestling from the 2008 Beijing Games is better than Camus in every way.
Patrick L. Stumberg of MMA Mania feels the same way:
This is one of those fights where one guy is just flat-out superior to his opponent at everything. What does Camus do? Wrestle and strike from distance with speed. What does Cejudo do? That, only significantly better. He’s also got quite a bit more power than Camus on the feet.
This is as close to a guarantee as you’re likely to find on this card.
Cejudo‘s massive head makes him one of the toughest flyweights in the world to stun with strikes. He’s not as fast as Johnson, but he possesses sneaky athleticism and lower-body explosion, so he can close distance quickly—especially when shooting for takedowns.
Cejudo also packs knockout power in his hands.
Camus is always active, tough and game, but he’s going to run into a buzz saw Saturday night. Cejudo will win by TKO and likely call out Mighty Mouse after his victory. It’s an intriguing fight and one the fledgling division needs to create some excitement.
Maybe then Johnson and Cejudo will get the respect they deserve.
Follow Brian Mazique on Twitter
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com