Another UFC heavyweight title fight…another UFC heavyweight champion. UFC 198 saw Fabricio Werdum’s title reign end at zero defenses, courtesy of a sweet right hand from newly crowned king Stipe Miocic.
It was an odd performance from the hometown favorite. Despite being the superior grappler, Werdum unwisely chased after Miocic following a few minutes of back-and-forth leg-kicking and was clocked cleanly as a result. It was somewhat disappointing for anyone who was hoping to see the submission wizard work his magic on the ground, but alas, there are no guarantees fighters will stick to their strengths in MMA.
Obviously, the biggest winner of the night is Miocic. He’s a champion, dang it! How could he not be?
While it may seem like low-hanging fruit, Werdum is the biggest loser of the night. The master of funny faces was being stacked up among the greatest fighters in heavyweight MMA history, courtesy of his wins over Cain Velasquez, Fedor Emelianenko, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Alistair Overeem. Furthermore, one of the biggest topics of discussion entering UFC 198 was what it would take for him to become the consensus leader.
Alas, it was not to be. While this doesn’t necessarily hurt Werdum’s place in that discussion, with one or two defenses of his title, it would have been next to impossible to argue against him. Now he’s just a part of the shuffle.
Who were the other real winners at UFC 198? Who were the real losers? Read on and find out.