UFC 180, an important foray into Mexico for the promotion, was nothing short of a resounding success.
A stacked card offered fans plenty of thrilling Round 1 finishes, the lone exception on the main card being a surprisingly competitive main event between Fabricio Werdum and Mark Hunt.
Careers were made, title shots were earned and gritty matches entered memorable territory in short amounts of time Saturday night, which is what the card set out to accomplish. Even the preliminaries saw some superb action and unexpected results to help build anticipation for the main card.
The entirety of the event featured noteworthy results, with some key lessons to digest before the next major round of matches are set in stone.
UFC 180 Results
Top Takeaways
Ricardo Lamas Still Has it
A few fights removed from a loss at the hands of Jose Aldo in a title bout, Ricardo Lamas hit UFC 180 with something to prove: that he is still a contender at 145 pounds.
He most certainly is after ripping off a wicked guillotine choke of Dennis Bermudez in the first round.
The Bully is now 15-3 and has two wins in a row after the loss to Aldo back in February. MMAFighting.com broke down just how much Saturday’s win meant to Lamas:
Lamas is not flashy, so in a way it makes sense that he is still so underrated despite taking down most credible fighters in the division. Putting an emphatic end to Bermudez‘s seven-fight streak in front of an international audience certainly does not hurt his reputation, though.
Next, Lamas apparently wants a shot at Conor McGregor, although that may be wishful thinking with McGregor on the fast track to a title shot of his own. Marc Raimondi of Fox Sports has the details:
With his stock once again high, another title shot will eventually be within reach for Lamas. It is quite apparent his form is still elite and that he can finish fights via strikes or submissions, so expect him to turn this win into a contender bout before a potential title shot.
Lamas is not going anywhere just yet.
Hector Urbina Is Here to Stay
The story is much the same for Hector Urbina, who made his UFC debut Saturday.
A veteran with more than 20 fights under his belt, many were wondering if Urbina was even right for the main card. At first it appeared those concerns were warranted, too, as Edgar Garcia tagged him a few times and looked to be on the way to a victory.
Urbina recovered, though, and eventually locked in a high-elbow guillotine choke to get the submission victory.
As MMAFighting.com puts into perspective, Garcia was one of the hottest fighters Urbina could have possibly met in the Octagon:
Not many expected the win for Urbina, who bumps his record to 17-8. But had he not come out so fired up and overzealous, he probably would not have needed so much time to put a finish to the fight given his superb form.
Where Urbina goes from here is difficult to say. The savvy veteran can hang with some of the bigger names in the division when he is on like he was against Garcia, but consistency is key now that he has one win under his belt with the promotion.
To say the foundation of a great run has been formed is an understatement.
Werdum’s Rightful Place
Time to acknowledge Werdum, folks.
For more than two years, Werdum has been one of the hottest fighters on the globe and a worthwhile No. 1 contender in the heavyweight division. He was finally due to get his shot but instead had to settle for a dance with Hunt.
To his credit, Hunt came out firing on all cylinders and landed a few of his trademark gargantuan punches. Werdum stubbornly stood in there and took the punishment, though, before delivering a brutal flying knee to end things in quick fashion.
As Guilherme Cruz notes, Werdum took quite the underdog path to his interim title:
Around the time of Werdum’s slump some two years ago, nobody on the globe would have guessed he would be finishing fights with strikes at such a high level right now. But that continued development stands as a testament to just how much one of UFC’s top names has evolved.
Werdum’s strength is still on the mat. But to stand in with one of the better strikers in the promotion and use technical savvy to bait and eventually pummel a workhorse such as Hunt is noteworthy.
As far as a top name to represent the promotion goes, Werdum is doing quite well for himself, as captured by Ariel Helwani:
Up next is undoubtedly a dance with Cain Velasquez. Given his surreal balance once thought impossible, Werdum is not as big of an underdog in that potential bout as some may think.
In front of a friendly crowd, Werdum revealed to the globe that he is not quite ready to leave the spotlight. In fact, he may be just entering it after a long wait.
Note: Stats and info courtesy of UFC.com unless otherwise specified.
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