Fabricio Werdum is no stranger to massive upsets and it showed at UFC 188. The 37-year-old is the undisputed heavyweight champion after defeating Cain Velasquez via third-round submission in the main event in Mexico City, Mexico. 

Fox Sports UFC tweeted the result:

There was no love lost between the two fighters as both neglected to touch gloves. Instead they started exchanging leather in the pocket. While Velasquez was able to knock Werdum down with his standup, it quickly turned into a clinch battle with each fighter scoring takedowns that ultimately ended up back on the feet.

The round ended with both combatants bloodied and a the beginnings of a potential classic afoot. Ariel Helwani of MMA Fighting noted the Mexican crowds raucous response to the opening round:

The second round brought a sight that MMA fans have never really seen: A tired Cain Velasquez. Neither fighter showed much interest in mixing it up like they did in the first round with both opting to slug it out in close quarters. 

ESPN’s Brett Okamoto recapped the big second round for Werdum:

Vai Cavalo rode the momentum of the huge round into the third as he finally got Velasquez in the most comfortable of areas for him, in his guard. The interim champion became the official champion with a guillotine choke. 

Once upon a time, Werdum’s greatest accomplishment was his victory over Fedor Emelianenko in June 2010. At the time, “The Last Emperor” was unbeaten since December 2000 and arguably the greatest fighter in the history of the sport. 

Werdum, didn’t let that stop him from locking in an armbar and breaking that legendary winning streak in just over a minute. Now, he has an accomplishment on his resume to rival that upset: UFC Champion. 

As ESPN’s Stats and Info pointed out, Werdum’s win ended a lengthy streak for Velazquez as well: 

In fact, Vai Cavalo compared his fight with Velasquez to his famous bout with Fedor leading up to the event. “I imagine not just the fight, but also my interview with Joe Rogan, and what I’ll be saying,” he said via Steven Marrocco and Christian Stein of MMAjunkie. “I think about all that. What I want is to finish the fight early, whether it be with a knee, a knockout, a high kick or a submission. I imagine it will be on the ground, just like when I beat Fedor.”

Now that dream has come to fruition, the question shifts to just how long he can hold on to his belt. While the Brazilian made his name by beating Fedor, he infamously followed up that win by losing a unanimous decision to Alistair Overeem in the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix. 

Obviously Werdum has proven that his spot atop the heavyweight mountain is well-deserved but other challengers still exist. For instance, Stipe Miocic is 4-1 in his last five bouts and feels he has done enough to warrant a shot at the title.

“I’ve fought the best in the world,” Miocic told Dave Deibert of Postmedia News. “I hung with JDS. A lot of people thought I won the fight. Nothing you can do about it. The judges thought he won but …” he said. “I beat the fifth-ranked (Hunt) decisively. Just makes sense. I’ve beaten the best in the world … Give me my shot.”

Regardless of who Werdum defends his title against next, the cup isn’t completely empty for Velasquez. As Patrick Wyman of Sherdog points out, the heavyweight division isn’t exacty stocked with young up-and-comers:

 

UFC 188 was Velasquez’s first event in 602 days. That’s a long enough layoff to impact even the best of fighters. Given the general dearth of contenders in the heavyweight division, this shouldn’t be the last time we see the now former champion get brought up in title talks. 

The names that populate the top-tier of heavyweights is a familiar one. Alistair Overeem, Junior dos Santos, Andrei Arlovski and Travis Browne have all suffered setbacks against top competition, but remain near the top of the pecking order. 

The likelihood that Velasquez eventually gets a rematch or another fight for the title seems to be in his favor. But for now, the true story of the night was Werdum and his audacity to not only dream of another upset, but go out and pull it off. 

 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Fabricio Werdum is no stranger to massive upsets and it showed at UFC 188. The 37-year-old is the undisputed heavyweight champion after defeating Cain Velasquez via third-round submission in the main event in Mexico City, Mexico. 

Fox Sports UFC tweeted the result:

There was no love lost between the two fighters as both neglected to touch gloves. Instead they started exchanging leather in the pocket. While Velasquez was able to knock Werdum down with his standup, it quickly turned into a clinch battle with each fighter scoring takedowns that ultimately ended up back on the feet.

The round ended with both combatants bloodied and a the beginnings of a potential classic afoot. Ariel Helwani of MMA Fighting noted the Mexican crowds raucous response to the opening round:

The second round brought a sight that MMA fans have never really seen: A tired Cain Velasquez. Neither fighter showed much interest in mixing it up like they did in the first round with both opting to slug it out in close quarters. 

ESPN’s Brett Okamoto recapped the big second round for Werdum:

Vai Cavalo rode the momentum of the huge round into the third as he finally got Velasquez in the most comfortable of areas for him, in his guard. The interim champion became the official champion with a guillotine choke. 

Once upon a time, Werdum’s greatest accomplishment was his victory over Fedor Emelianenko in June 2010. At the time, “The Last Emperor” was unbeaten since December 2000 and arguably the greatest fighter in the history of the sport. 

Werdum, didn’t let that stop him from locking in an armbar and breaking that legendary winning streak in just over a minute. Now, he has an accomplishment on his resume to rival that upset: UFC Champion. 

As ESPN’s Stats and Info pointed out, Werdum’s win ended a lengthy streak for Velazquez as well: 

In fact, Vai Cavalo compared his fight with Velasquez to his famous bout with Fedor leading up to the event. “I imagine not just the fight, but also my interview with Joe Rogan, and what I’ll be saying,” he said via Steven Marrocco and Christian Stein of MMAjunkie. “I think about all that. What I want is to finish the fight early, whether it be with a knee, a knockout, a high kick or a submission. I imagine it will be on the ground, just like when I beat Fedor.”

Now that dream has come to fruition, the question shifts to just how long he can hold on to his belt. While the Brazilian made his name by beating Fedor, he infamously followed up that win by losing a unanimous decision to Alistair Overeem in the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix. 

Obviously Werdum has proven that his spot atop the heavyweight mountain is well-deserved but other challengers still exist. For instance, Stipe Miocic is 4-1 in his last five bouts and feels he has done enough to warrant a shot at the title.

“I’ve fought the best in the world,” Miocic told Dave Deibert of Postmedia News. “I hung with JDS. A lot of people thought I won the fight. Nothing you can do about it. The judges thought he won but …” he said. “I beat the fifth-ranked (Hunt) decisively. Just makes sense. I’ve beaten the best in the world … Give me my shot.”

Regardless of who Werdum defends his title against next, the cup isn’t completely empty for Velasquez. As Patrick Wyman of Sherdog points out, the heavyweight division isn’t exacty stocked with young up-and-comers:

 

UFC 188 was Velasquez’s first event in 602 days. That’s a long enough layoff to impact even the best of fighters. Given the general dearth of contenders in the heavyweight division, this shouldn’t be the last time we see the now former champion get brought up in title talks. 

The names that populate the top-tier of heavyweights is a familiar one. Alistair Overeem, Junior dos Santos, Andrei Arlovski and Travis Browne have all suffered setbacks against top competition, but remain near the top of the pecking order. 

The likelihood that Velasquez eventually gets a rematch or another fight for the title seems to be in his favor. But for now, the true story of the night was Werdum and his audacity to not only dream of another upset, but go out and pull it off. 

 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com