Tag: UFC 180

Fabricio Werdum Reveals Himself as Hero of the Story, TKOs Mark Hunt at UFC 180

Much of the lead-up to UFC 180 focused on Mark Hunt’s chance to complete his Cinderella run to the interim heavyweight title.
After Saturday night’s final plot twist, however, it turned out Fabricio Werdum was the hero of this story all alo…

Much of the lead-up to UFC 180 focused on Mark Hunt’s chance to complete his Cinderella run to the interim heavyweight title.

After Saturday night’s final plot twist, however, it turned out Fabricio Werdum was the hero of this story all along.

Despite some dicey early moments, Werdum was always the more complete MMA fighter here. He weathered Hunt’s best stuff in the first round and then caught him with a perfectly timed knee in the second, forcing the referee to halt an onslaught of punches and hammerfists on the ground just a few ticks shy of seven-and-a-half minutes into the fight.

Hunt dominated the pre-fight narratives, but it was really Werdum who saved UFC 180 after Cain Velasquez dropped out with an injury. He spent the last two months living in Mexico City to get acclimated to the altitude and along the way was adopted as the favorite of local fans. He showed off his Spanish skills on the mic, danced and laughed during pre-fight festivities and kept the party going right up to the moment UFC President Dana White wrapped the title belt around his waist.

Oh, and you want to compare notes on improbable comeback stories?

Werdum has a pretty good one of those, too.

He left the UFC in 2008 after losing to a debuting Junior dos Santos but has gone 8-1 during the last six years. His unlikely career second wind includes a shocking 2010 victory over the greatest heavyweight of all time, Fedor Emelianenko, in Strikeforce and five straight wins since returning to the Octagon in 2012.

Now, he can add a UFC heavyweight title to that resume, even as he continues to improve on it.

It’s Werdum who will shepherd the 265-pound division into the UFC’s vitally important 2015 schedule, in spite of his advanced age (37). He’ll wait for Velasquez to return from a knee ailment and then the two will finish the business they began as rival coaches on The Ultimate Fighter Latin America.

And if Velasquez’s rehab suffers any unexpected delays? It’ll be Werdum who loses the interim tag and becomes the UFC heavyweight champion proper.

We probably should’ve seen this coming.

Hunt entered as more than a four-to-one underdog, according to Odds Shark. His weight cut was tremendous, and he appeared beset by personal problems during fight week. Though he proclaimed himself fit and ready to fight by Thursday’s media conference, he hinted that the troubles were ongoing once the bout was over.

“Now I just have to go home and fix my marriage,” a defeated Hunt said, via The Daily Telegraph‘s Nick Walshaw. “Go home and see my kids.”

By comparison, Werdum appeared to be having the time of his life leading up to this fight.

For a time, though, it seemed like the armchair psychiatry we’d heaped at Hunt’s feet during event week wouldn’t amount to a hill of beans. He looked in relatively good shape as he took the cage and—surprise, surprise—came out swinging.

Hunt toppled Werdum with a winging right to the ear during the early stages of the first round. After surviving his one and only excursion inside the Brazilian’s vaunted guard, he hurt him again with an uppercut down the stretch.

Werdum wasn’t pushing the pace, wasn’t putting together the punching combinations that had typified his improving stand-up game during recent appearances. Between rounds, his corner told him he needed to get busy, though the end came so soon after he never really got things firing on all cylinders.

In the second, he caught Hunt stooping low, perhaps for a shot at a takedown, and landed the knee flush on the side of his head. A moment later, he was perched in Hunt’s half guard landing strikes, and Herb Dean was forced to take action.

“(Hunt) punched me very hard,” Werdum said to UFC color commentator Joe Rogan in the cage immediately following. “But I’ve been waiting for this moment.”

The moment, indeed, belonged to Werdum.

So did the storybook ending, though it took far too long (and one highlight-reel knockout) for the rest of us to see the writing on the wall.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 180: Matches to Make for the Entire Fight Card

At UFC 180, Fabricio Werdum defeated Mark Hunt to become the interim heavyweight champion.
The Brazilian was originally booked to meet Cain Velasquez on Saturday, but the titleholder was injured and replaced by Hunt. At 40 years old, this may have been…

At UFC 180, Fabricio Werdum defeated Mark Hunt to become the interim heavyweight champion.

The Brazilian was originally booked to meet Cain Velasquez on Saturday, but the titleholder was injured and replaced by Hunt. At 40 years old, this may have been Hunt’s first and last chance to capture UFC gold, which would have capped the most unlikely of championship runs.

Hunt didn’t go down easy against Werdum. The Super Samoan dropped Werdum and even scored a takedown in the opening round. However, things took a sudden turn in the second stanza.

Werdum landed a flying knee that sent Hunt to the canvas. Before he could recover, Hunt was eating follow-up punches, and referee Herb Dean was forced to step in.

Another UFC event is in the books, so here is a look at the matchups that should be next for Werdum, Hunt and the rest of the UFC 180 competitors.

Begin Slideshow

Werdum vs. Hunt: Video Highlights from UFC 180 Main Event

It has been more than six years since Fabricio Werdum parted ways with the UFC following a knockout loss to Junior dos Santos. At UFC 180, Werdum completed his resurrection and captured the interim heavyweight championship.
Things weren’t looking great…

It has been more than six years since Fabricio Werdum parted ways with the UFC following a knockout loss to Junior dos Santos. At UFC 180, Werdum completed his resurrection and captured the interim heavyweight championship.

Things weren’t looking great for Werdum early on. The Brazilian was knocked down by a Mark Hunt right hand in the opening round. Much more talented on the ground, Werdum also failed to capitalize on having Hunt in his full guard for nearly two minutes.

However, Vai Cavalo survived the first stanza and turned things around in a big way during the second round. Two minutes in, Werdum stunned Hunt with a flying knee and finished Super Samoan with follow-up punches.

Originally booked to challenge Cain Velasquez at UFC 180, Werdum is 5-0 since returning to the UFC roster in connection with the Strikeforce merger. Dating back to his loss to Dos Santos, Werdum has gone 8-1, with his lone loss coming in a matchup with Alistair Overeem.

Despite being 37 years old, Werdum is looking better than he ever has. It would seem likely that he’ll now wait until Velasquez heals up and meet his fellow titleholder at some point in 2015.

Meanwhile, Hunt’s bid to complete one of the most unlikely UFC title runs ever will have to wait. At 40 years old, Hunt will need to rebound quickly to capture UFC gold.

In September 2010, Hunt was submitted by Sean McCorkle in a loss that left him with six consecutive opening-round stoppage losses. At the time, the UFC was willing to buy out Hunt’s existing Pride FC contract and allow him to leave the organization.

Hunt refused, though, and bounced back in amazing fashion. In his next seven appearances, Hunt was only beaten by former heavyweight champion Dos Santos. That strong run was enough to make Hunt the replacement Saturday for an injured Velasquez.

Even in the event that he never earns another UFC title shot, Hunt’s career turnaround has been something to behold. He went from a one-dimensional kickboxer who couldn’t cut it at the highest level to a fighter with a very respectable MMA career.

While Werdum and Hunt headlined the show, UFC 180 ended up having several other meaningful bouts. Here are the results from the UFC’s inaugural trip to Mexico:

Main Card

  • Fabricio Werdum def. Mark Hunt via second-round TKO
  • Kelvin Gastelum def. Jake Ellenberger via first-round submission
  • Ricardo Lamas def. Dennis Bermudez via first-round submission 
  • Augusto Montano def. Chris Heatherly via first-round TKO 
  • Hector Urbina def. Edgar Garcia via first-round submission

Prelims

  • Yair Rodriguez def. Leonardo Morales via unanimous decision
  • Alejandro Perez def. Jose Alberto Quinonez via unanimous decision
  • Jessica Eye def. Leslie Smith via second-round TKO
  • Gabriel Benitez def. Humberto Brown via third-round submission
  • Enrique Briones def. Guido Canneti via second-round submission
  • Marco Beltran def. Marlon Vera via unanimous decision

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Werdum vs. Hunt: Analyzing Results from UFC 180 Showdown

Sometimes, all it takes is a perfectly timed knee to the face to turn around the momentum of a sporting event.
Fabricio Werdum did just that after he weathered an early storm from Mark Hunt in the initial round of the interim UFC Heavyweight Championsh…

Sometimes, all it takes is a perfectly timed knee to the face to turn around the momentum of a sporting event.

Fabricio Werdum did just that after he weathered an early storm from Mark Hunt in the initial round of the interim UFC Heavyweight Championship fight at UFC 180 on Saturday in Mexico City. Werdum won by technical knockout in the second round. He certainly had to work for his victory, but a beautifully placed flying knee to Hunt’s chin completely flipped the script on the match.

Hunt actually landed a number of forceful punches on Werdum in the first round and dictated the tempo in the early going.

However, Hunt’s initial momentum proved futile in the second round when Werdum sent the challenger to the mat with that previously mentioned knee to the chin. The Brazilian wasted no time after that and pounced on the opportunity by unleashing a series of punches and shots on the ground until the referee stopped the fight.

It was an incredible turnaround considering how impressive Hunt looked in the opening few minutes.

Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com summarized the action accordingly:

Hunt landed nine significant strikes in Round 1 compared to Werdum’s eight, per UFC.com, but Werdum took control in the second round. The eventual victor ended up with 13 significant strikes in the second round compared to Hunt’s one.

Werdum discussed the win after the match, via Steven Marrocco of MMAJunkie.com: “This belt is for my daughters and my wife and my family and my team. He punched me very hard, but I’ve been waiting for this moment.”

While Werdum did walk away with the all-important victory, the 40-year-old Hunt did more than just hold his own. He put a scare in the significant favorite and belonged in that cage right alongside Werdum.

It was even more impressive considering Hunt only had a few weeks to prepare for the high altitude of Mexico City because he was a late fill-in for Cain Velasquez. Unfortunately for the veteran Hunt, that may have represented his final opportunity on one of the sport’s bigger stages, given his age.

As for Werdum, the win gave him his fifth straight victory and seemingly set up a showdown with Velasquez. Still, that is assuming that Velasquez comes back 100 percent back from injury, which is a major assumption at this point.

He will have until March of 2015 to fully recover.

Ideally, for fans of the sport and competition as a whole, Velasquez will return to 100 percent quickly because a clash between him and Werdum would be must-see television for UFC supporters.

For now, though, Werdum will enjoy his hard-fought interim UFC Heavyweight Championship.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 180: Mark Hunt and the Ultimate No-Lose Situation

Sometimes, you find yourself in a pretty good spot. You know it might not break your way, but even if it doesn’t, you’re no worse off for the ordeal than you are sitting here, right now, today.
Chances are, if you sat down with Mark Hunt and asked him …

Sometimes, you find yourself in a pretty good spot. You know it might not break your way, but even if it doesn’t, you’re no worse off for the ordeal than you are sitting here, right now, today.

Chances are, if you sat down with Mark Hunt and asked him about his experience in Mexico at UFC 180, he would tell you something pretty close to that.

Prior to Saturday, the last time the world saw Hunt, he was scoring a devastating knockout of long un-knockout-able stalwart Roy Nelson. After that, he retired to his home to get heavy and await another call from the UFC.

That call came quicker than he anticipated and with higher stakes than he likely imagined: He was going to fight for the interim heavyweight title against Fabricio Werdum.

The dubious nature of an interim title notwithstanding, that’s a great haul for a guy who made his UFC debut losing to Sean McCorkle not that long ago.

Show up, make weight, potentially become a UFC titleholder.

And even if he lost, what would it mean? He’d be a warrior who stepped up on short notice to fight one of the best heavies on Earth, and it didn’t break his way. He’d probably hold in the rankings and in credibility and go home just as he did after the Nelson fight to await his next challenge.

Well, that’s what happened.

After a stellar first round that anyone would have scored 10-9 for Hunt, he continued to look strong in the second before a flying knee caught him flush and put him on the canvas. It was a beautiful piece of violence from Werdum—one that married timing and technique expertly and got a much-deserved result.

And, aside from a headache, it didn’t mean anything to Hunt.

He was fighting on short notice after coming from the other side of the world. He was a massive betting underdog. He didn’t even have time to spar in camp. He was basically supposed to lose.

In terms of no-lose losses, this one pretty much wrote the book.

No great competitor wants to lose, and mixed martial artists are among the ultimate competitors in professional sports. They would have to be in order to face down the peril they do in their business. But if you have to lose, UFC 180 is an all right way for it to happen if you’re Hunt.

People still love him for his style and attitude and revere him for his skill, and everyone knew the uphill battle he was facing. No one in the sport thinks less of him for losing, and it’s a rare thing that a guy getting stopped by a flying knee is given that kind of liberty from fans.

He’s still a Top Five heavyweight, a fan favorite and a beloved warrior. He’s still a title contender, even after suffering a vicious stoppage on a landmark card launching a new major market for the UFC.

It’s easy to see how UFC 180 was the ultimate no-lose situation for Hunt.

 

Follow me on Twitter @matthewjryder!

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 180 Results: Scorecards, Reaction and Analysis from Hunt vs. Werdum Event

UFC 180 reminded fans of one truth about MMA as a sport—a fight can end at a moment’s notice. The theme was apparent throughout the night in Mexico, as four of the five main card bouts ended in the first round.
Then—in the finale—Fabr…

UFC 180 reminded fans of one truth about MMA as a sport—a fight can end at a moment’s notice. The theme was apparent throughout the night in Mexico, as four of the five main card bouts ended in the first round.

Then—in the finale—Fabricio Werdum waited until the second round to knock out Mark Hunt en route to his coronation as the new interim heavyweight champion. 

But Werdum wasn’t the only fight winner who got some bling for his efforts. The card also crowned two The Ultimate Fighter champions as part of the Fox Sports 1 preliminary portion of the card. Here’s a look at the complete results for Saturday night along with analysis and reaction to the biggest stories in Mexico City.

Yair Rodriguez and Alejandro Perez Become TUF Winners

The interim heavyweight title wasn’t the only award up for grabs on Saturday night. Four fighters were also attempting to stake their claim as the latest winners of The Ultimate Fighter. 

Team Velasquez products Jose Alberto Quinonez and Alejandro Perez kicked off the TUF finale doubleheader in the bantamweight division. Perez and Quinonez engaged in a back-and-forth fight throughout most of the three rounds. However, an intentional headbutt from Quinonez turned the fight toward Perez in the third frame. Heidi Fang of Fox Sports noted how rare it is to see two points being taken away from a fighter:

Once Perez earned his title, it was on to the 145ers. Team Velasquez’s Yair Rodriguez met Team Werdum’s Leonardo Morales to determine the title. Although Morales held his own in the stand-up department, Rodriguez’s impressive ground game was the difference. 

According to FightMetric, Rodriguez scored two takedowns and five submission attempts, while Morales was unable to do much of anything when the fight hit the mat. 

Rodriguez attempted to put into words how great it felt to win the show in his post-fight interview, per MMAFighting:

It would behoove the UFC to bring along both Perez and Rodriguez slowly. Neither fighter looked capable of making a splash in the near future. However, with the sport constantly looking for ways to improve its brand recognition in various parts of the globe, the two winners got their UFC careers heading in the right direction in a big spot. 

 

Jessica Eye Bounces Back with Authority

Jessica “Evil” Eye’s 2014 didn’t get off to the best start. The Cleveland native lost a close split decision to Alexis Davis at UFC 170 in February. Then she had to turn around and watch Davis get a crack at Ronda Rousey (all 16 seconds of it). 

But the No. 6 women’s bantamweight in the UFC rankings did a lot to get herself back on track to her own title shot on Saturday. Faced with an inferior opponent, she picked Leslie Smith apart through two rounds of action before nearly detaching Smith’s ear. 

Gruesome ending aside, Eye’s striking ability really shined through in this one. As Jonathan Snowden of Bleacher Report noted, her athleticism was simply too much for Smith:

It’s time for Eye to once again get a Top Five opponent. She proved on Saturday that she can treat anyone below her in the rankings like her personal punching bag. 

 

Fabricio Werdum Is the New Interim Heavyweight Champion

Obviously, the biggest story of the night was Werdum claiming the interim UFC Heavyweight Championship against Hunt. 

The 37-year-old Brazilian went toe-to-toe with the Super Samoan for most of the first round. Although that would seem like a counterintuitive strategy for the jiu-jitsu wiz, it ended up paying dividends. Standing just outside of Hunt’s range in the second round, Werdum timed up a flying knee that sent Hunt tumbling to the canvas before follow-up strikes brought the end of the fight. 

Werdum’s assumed next opponent—current champion Cain Velasquez—assessed the fight on the UFC Post Show, via Jeff Cain of MMAWeekly.com:

Hunt came out and stuck to his game plan pretty good; defended the takedowns and I think won most of the stand-up in the first round. He just got caught with that knee… It just shows that Fabricio does everything and he does everything well. He spins. He spin-kicks. He knees, throws elbows. He does everything well.

Now, the question is what—if anything—Werdum will be able to do against the actual champion. Velasquez is considered to be the undisputed best heavyweight in the world, but it’s been four years since he’s fought someone not named Junior dos Santos or Antonio Silva. 

When the champion finally returns to the Octagon from injury, he’ll have a new challenge awaiting him. With Werdum’s ever-improving striking making him one of the most well-rounded fighters in the division, he has certainly earned his date with destiny when he finally gets his chance. 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com