History was made at UFC 180, and it wasn’t even on the main card! A preliminary bout between Jessica Eye and Leslie Smith produced one of the grossest visuals in MMA recently.
Eye battered Smith throughout the first round. One of Eye’s punches glanced Smith’s ear, rupturing it in the first round. In the second round, Eye kept smashing the ear, turning it into a gory mess worse than that of James Thompson when he fought Kimbo Slice.
Check out the image below (courtesy Zombie Prophet), but keep in mind it’s not for the faint of heart…
History was made at UFC 180, and it wasn’t even on the main card! A preliminary bout between Jessica Eye and Leslie Smith produced one of the grossest visuals in MMA recently.
Eye battered Smith throughout the first round. One of Eye’s punches glanced Smith’s ear, rupturing it in the first round. In the second round, Eye kept smashing the ear, turning it into a gory mess worse than that of James Thompson when he fought Kimbo Slice.
Check out the image below (courtesy Zombie Prophet), but keep in mind it’s not for the faint of heart:
Yeah. Damn. Understandably, the cage side physician eventually called the fight so Smith could leave the cage with two ears.
A riveting UFC 180 fight card is set to take place Saturday night in Mexico City, and Fabricio Werdum’s interim heavyweight title bout with Mark Hunt is only one of many enticing bouts.
In total, Werdum vs. Hunt is one of five main-card fights on tap f…
A riveting UFC 180 fight card is set to take place Saturday night in Mexico City, and Fabricio Werdum‘s interim heavyweight title bout with Mark Hunt is only one of many enticing bouts.
In total, Werdum vs. Hunt is one of five main-card fights on tap for UFC 180. It will be the only one to decide a title, but each of the other four fights features up-and-comers and some of the UFC’s most impressive fighters.
Cain Velasquez won’t be in the mix after his heavyweight title defense was derailed following a knee injury, but that doesn’t mean we’ll be at a shortage of quality action.
Let’s take a look at the viewing information, the full main fight card and predictions.
Note: Matchups and player statistics courtesy of UFC.com unless otherwise noted.
Fabricio Werdum vs. Mark Hunt
From the outside perspective, Hunt could be called a lucky man for his place in UFC 180.
The 40-year-old has never earned himself a heavyweight title shot in the UFC, despite a long career in the promotion. But when Velasquez got injured and the UFC desperately needed a late plug to avoid canceling the main event altogether, Hunt was ready.
It’s hard to say, despite his luck, that he’s not deserving. He may be just 10-8-1 in the UFC, but he has demolished some of the top heavyweights—Roy Nelson, Stefan Struve, Cheick Kongo and a tough draw with Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva—since 2012 and is fighting at the peak of his career.
But not only did Hunt have only three weeks to prepare for the fight—he also had to cut more than 30 pounds in the span. Understandably, he was starving after making weight on Friday, per Shaheen Al-Shatti of MMAFighting.com:
He made the weight, but it’s not surprising to hear a hint of reality in his hopefulness for Saturday’s fight, per Fox Sports’ Marc Raimondi:
Regardless of the outcome next weekend, I’ve won just by being here. I don’t care what you say. You have no clue what I do. I’m here to win that No. 1 spot. I’m gonna knock Fabricio out. This is my chance here. This is my opportunity. If I didn’t take this, I wouldn’t have been happy with myself as a fighter.
Hunt has always been a fighter that seizes opportunities and scoffs at an underdog role, but he’s facing quite the uphill battle to contend on Saturday night.
Werdum hasn’t been preparing for Hunt; he’s been preparing for a multiple-time heavyweight champion in Velasquez. He has been in Mexico for two months adjusting to the altitude and training, per Raimondi. Hunt has been there all of two weeks.
The 40-year-old Hunt has a lot of things going against him, but undeniably, the most important one is Werdum’s sheer skill and ability. Previously heralded for his jiu-jitsu dominance and a suffocating ground game, Werdum has adapted his skills to excel standing and striking, as he showed against Travis Browne.
Werdum is destined for an early-round knockout, but that will be easier said than done against Hunt, who’s one of the biggest and most determined fighters in the heavyweight class. Getting him to go down—and stay down—is one of the hardest things to do in the UFC.
But he will in fact go down—and often enough for Werdum to stake his claim as the undoubted interim title winner.
Cain Velasquez won’t be making his anticipated title defense in Mexico City in Saturday night’s UFC 180, but Fabricio Werdum’s interim heavyweight title bout with Mark Hunt promises to deliver all of the theatrics.
The 37-year-old Werdum fought his way…
Cain Velasquez won’t be making his anticipated title defense in Mexico City in Saturday night’s UFC 180, but Fabricio Werdum‘s interim heavyweight title bout with Mark Hunt promises to deliver all of the theatrics.
The 37-year-old Werdum fought his way to his first ever title opportunity with a unanimous victory over Travis Browne back in April. But the main event hit a stumbling block just three weeks before showtime, with Velasquez pulling out due to a knee injury that will keep him out until at least March.
Hunt, no stranger to battling some of the top heavyweights in UFC, jumped to accept the invitation to fill Velasquez’s place. After improbably cutting his weight down to 265, he’s geared up to add another upset to his resume.
Most fans are pulling for Velasquez to return in ample time to defend his title against the winner, but with a major injury comes the potential of Saturday night’s champion becoming the new official belt-holder. Without further delay, let’s break down odds and predictions for the upcoming fight.
Odds: Werdum -410 and Hunt +365, according to Odds Shark (last updated Nov. 14 at 9 p.m. ET).
When Hunt got the call from the UFC confirming he was going to get his title shot—albeit an interim one—against Werdum, it was probably a mix of elation and panic for the 40-year-old.
Why the panic? He was over 300 pounds; Hunt needed to cut down to 265 in the span of three weeks in order to be eligible.
That meant no carbohydrates for a while, but the longtime veteran had no trouble cutting the weight and promptly stuffing himself with carbs following Friday’s weigh-in. Shaheen Al-Shatti of MMA Fighting was on hand:
With the pound-cutting out of the way, Hunt can now fully focus on the task at hand that his opponent has been fixated on ever since April—the chance to become a heavyweight champion.
Both fighters would lift their first UFC belt with a victory, but it’s no secret that Werdum is the heavy favorite. With an 18-5-1 career record, he formerly hung his hat on a dominant jiu-jitsu style but now has improved his striking ability to a similar level.
“It was very fair to say that Werdum didn’t do well against strikers, but that changed when he fought Travis Browne,” UFC president Dana White said. “Travis is a big, strong, rangy athletic guy who has great stand-up. Werdum just handled him. After that, you can’t say he doesn’t have the stand-up anymore.”
There’s no doubt Hunt has a massive size advantage, but Werdum more than makes up for it with superior reach and mounds more stamina than his opponent.
Then again, Hunt has made a name for himself in winning fights that he’s been counted out of. A few of those in UFC have come against players of similar size to Werdum like Cheick Kongo and Roy Nelson but not near the skill level.
It can’t be ignored that Hunt faced an uphill battle just to get to this point and may not be 100 percent. But even if Hunt isn’t firing on all cylinders, his fighting style promises to keep him in a slugfest for at least three rounds.
A month ago, Hunt was waiting for his next chance while Werdum was entering the final few weeks of preparation for the biggest fight of his career. That will show in the final few rounds after Hunt impresses early.
Hunt won’t go down easily, but he’ll still go down—and often. Werdum won’t be able to secure the KO, but there will be no doubt when the final bell tolls.
There’s only one way Mark “Super Samoan” Hunt can defeat Fabricio Werdum on Saturday night at UFC 180: He has to land a huge shot that puts Werdum away.
If Hunt doesn’t connect with one of his explosive right hands, he’ll be picked apart all…
There’s only one way Mark “Super Samoan” Hunt can defeat Fabricio Werdum on Saturday night at UFC 180: He has to land a huge shot that puts Werdum away.
If Hunt doesn’t connect with one of his explosive right hands, he’ll be picked apart all night and ultimately submitted. While everyone has to have some affinity for the proverbial puncher’s chance, if I was putting money on it, I’d bet on Werdum.
Over the last few years, Werdum has evolved from a one-dimensional submission specialist to a well-rounded mixed martial artist. His muaythai skills are now among the best in the heavyweight division. This was never more clearly on display than in April when Werdum dismantled Travis Browne.
Most would have expected Werdum to try to take the fight with Browne to the mat. Instead, he landed more than twice as many strikes than his taller opponent (121-60, per FightMetric) and won a lopsided unanimous decision.
There’s no reason to believe Werdum won’t do the same thing to Hunt. Werdum has the edge in length, quickness and overall skill. Hunt is plenty powerful, but Werdum won’t be caught with the haymaker that changes the fight.
Here’s a look at my predictions for the entire card and some insight into the co-feature.
Jake Ellenberger Can’t Win the Semi-Big One
It seems every time Jake “The Juggernaut” Ellenberger gets an opportunity in a big fight, he fails. He’s currently on a two-fight losing streak after losing to Robbie Lawler and Rory MacDonald. There’s no shame in losing to either of those men. Both are among the four best 170-pound fighters in the world.
Before Ellenberger dominated fringe contenders Nate Marquardt and Jay Hieron, he was stopped by Martin Kampmann when it seemed The Juggernaut was knocking on the door for a title shot.
I might be premature in saying this, but he’s beginning to look like the Michael Bisping of welterweights: A guy who seems to be good enough to call himself elite, yet he can’t capture the win that validates him.
In order to change this perception, Ellenberger desperately needs to beat Kelvin Gastelum on Saturday. A three-fight losing streak shouldn’t put Ellenberger on the cut line, but it should banish him from the main-card scene for the time being.
The cut line would, of course, be next.
Gastelum doesn’t have a particular skill that jumps out at you, though he is a very good wrestler. However, he has great energy, he’s physically strong and he seems to work tirelessly at his craft. He’s also very smart in the cage and has shown the ability to game plan for opponents who are more talented physically.
This was the case at The Ultimate Fighter season 17 finale when Gastelum upset the extraordinarily talented Uriah Hall to win the TUF title. Gastelum has had some issues with his weight, but he says those problems are behind him.
Per Damon Martin of Fox Sports, Gastelum said, “I know everybody wants to know where my weight is. I completely understand. Once I hit the scales and I look the best I’ve ever been, all those questions will be gone.”
Gastelum is 10-0 and looking for more success. I’m predicting he finds it against Ellenberger. Traditionally, Ellenberger has had problems with strong strikers. Lawler, MacDonald and Kampmann all have that talent.
Against Ellenberger, Gastelum will have to prove he has the striking ability to make his opponent respect him. Gastelum has been training with Mike Dolce leading into this fight. He’ll be more limber and agile. That’ll be the difference in the stand-up exchanges and the fight overall.
Knees have been Ellenberger‘s undoing in his bouts against Lawler and Kampmann. A short shot on the inside from Gastelum will again thwart The Juggernaut. Expect a TKO win for Gastelum.
Follow Brian Mazique on Twitter. I dig boxing and MMA.
With Cain Velasquez sidelined, the heavyweight interim title is on the line Saturday in Mexico City, Mexico, at UFC 180 when Fabricio Werdum and Mark Hunt step into the Octagon in the main event.For the 40-year-old Hunt, this presents the peak of an ep…
With Cain Velasquez sidelined, the heavyweight interim title is on the line Saturday in Mexico City, Mexico, at UFC 180 when Fabricio Werdum and Mark Hunt step into the Octagon in the main event.
For the 40-year-old Hunt, this presents the peak of an epic comeback story that began with an early 2011 win that halted a six-fight losing streak. He has garnered plenty of headlines on his comeback trail not only because of its grand scope, but because of his hard-hitting ways.
Werdum is more technical and garners less headlines as he expertly utilizes Brazilian jiu-jitsu, a skill set that has him as the No. 1 heavyweight contender.
Make no mistake, the entire fight card is solid. UFC and Dana White have pulled out all the stops for what is a critical Saturday on the calendar. But the headlining act is certainly worthy of the top slot and demands the eyes of the globe.
A war of contrasting styles highlights Saturday’s marquee event.
Hunt is fortunate to have this opportunity in front of him given a recent chain of events involving the current title holder, but it helps that he has bulldozed over almost everyone in his way over the course of the past two years and change.
The Super Samoan has just a 10-8-1 record in mixed martial arts but has a 70 percent knockout rate. The ability to tag his opponents relentlessly gives the underdog a serious avenue for victory in any bout.
My whole career’s been an underdog’s. I’m not supposed to be here. I won the world title in K-1 as a nobody. Of course I’m the underdog. Everyone is saying it. I mean, even these circumstances brings me there, but hey, man, it makes a good story. If anyone can do it, I can do it.
If there is a fighter who can put an emphatic end to the feel-good story, though, it would be Werdum.
Werdum has won seven of his last eight fights, fully putting on display his extensive grappling background. One has to presume that the ideal approach for the No. 1 contender is to get Hunt on the ground to finish things, but the fact he has a major reach advantage and is 6’5″ to Hunt’s 5’10” certainly does not hurt, either.
Still, standing in and trading blows with Hunt may not prove so kind to Werdum’s chin. This is something his coach, Rafael Cordeiro, has stressed as of late, as captured by UFC.com’s Nancy Gay:
We know Fabricio has more skills on the floor, and he knows the best way to beat Mark Hunt is on the floor. But it’s hard to put this (advantage) in Fabricio’s mind, because he likes to challenge himself. He’s going to prove to the world that he’s the real champ, and he is ready for the belt. When you are ready for the belt, you fight the opponent that is put in front of you.
The fact stubbornness may prevent Werdum from going to his main strength early and often would normally act as a major red flag.
But in this particular fight, not so much. Hunt is a great fighter and a serious threat to anybody he steps in the Octagon with, but the conditions leading up to the fight have not been ideal.
Not only is the fight on short notice, meaning Hunt may have stamina issues at the high altitude in Mexico City, he has had issues cutting his weight to the required 265 pounds, as noted by Al-Shatti. Not only does that create further stamina concerns, it places him at a lighter weight than usual so that he cannot physically impose himself on Werdum.
Hunt has the proverbial puncher’s chance. Perhaps more than most. But he is a fill-in as a card headliner whose opponent touts elite strengths in areas that are his biggest weakness.
Look for Hunt to make it interesting, but Werdum should have no issues taking things to the mat and getting the victory, so long as he wises up after getting tagged a few times and gets right down to riding his strengths.
Note: Stats and info courtesy of UFC.comunless otherwise specified.
Fabricio Werdum vs. Mark Hunt isn’t the heavyweight title fight fans in Mexico thought they would see, but it could still deliver as an exciting main event. The UFC makes it way to Mexico City, Mexico, on Saturday, and it’s the first time in history th…
Fabricio Werdum vs. Mark Hunt isn’t the heavyweight title fight fans in Mexico thought they would see, but it could still deliver as an exciting main event. The UFC makes it way to Mexico City, Mexico, on Saturday, and it’s the first time in history the promotion has held an event in the country.
Cain Velasquez was originally scheduled to defend his UFC heavyweight title against Werdum, but injuries to his knee forced him out. Hunt stepped up in his place, and due to Velasquez’s prolonged inactivity, this bout is now for the interim title.
On Thursday, UFC president Dana White indicated that the interim tag could be dropped from the title if Velasquez can’t compete by March. Per UFC.com, White said:
“We’re headed in that direction now. This next fight in Mexico is for the interim title. So if Cain couldn’t compete again, the winner of this fight would be seen as the champion.”
The Calm Before the Storm
With stakes high, you can bet the two veteran heavyweights will go all-out to win their first world titles. While the intensity in the cage might be palpable, both fighters have been loose leading up to the bout. Images from Pro Football Focus’ Sam Monson and MMA Junkie imply these guys don’t exactly hate each other.
That said, Hunt is an animal, and Werdum is a professional MMA fighter in the most ruthless sense of the term. When Bruce Buffer says: “It’s time!!!!!” All of the smiles will be gone. If you doubt it, take a look at what Hunt said per Daniel Richardson of the NZ Herald and the UFC Tonight Twitter account:
White knows about Hunt’s massive KO power, and he wants to make sure he reminds all of his Twitter followers with this Super Samoan version of the classic video game Duck Hunt.
Time for Someone to Get Their Propers
Werdum has long been considered a top contender dating back to his days in Strikeforce and PRIDE, but as Damon Martin of Fox Sports mentions, he’s never had an opportunity to obtain championship glory.
Werdum was the first man to beat the great Fedor Emelianenko in 10 years, but the limelight seemed to escape him. Up until about three years ago, he was seen as a one-dimensional submissions artist, but that has changed.
Against Travis Browne back in April, Werdum showed off his vastly improved Muay-Thai skills and dismantled a man most thought to be his superior in the striking department. Werdum won by unanimous decision, landing 121 significant strikes to only 60 for Browne, per Fight Metric.
It’s because of that newfound skill that this bout with Hunt seems intriguing.
There’s no question, Werdum would be better off taking the fight to the ground, but his improved stand-up will come in handy as he attempts to transition the bout to the mat. Werdum is a high-level black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and widely considered the best grappler in the heavyweight division.
Here’s what Hunt thinks about Werdum’s black belts.
Hunt is one of those imperfect heavyweights who brings one weapon to the cage. He’s betting his punch will cancel out out all of the technicalities, and oftentimes he’s capable.
If the fight is exciting, it’s hard to imagine Werdum winning. Outside of Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva, we’ve yet to see any fighter capable of trading with Hunt.
Werdum needs to be sound defensively. If he is, he should submit Hunt or earn a decision with smart and tactical striking. We shall see which fighter holds sway in Mexico on Saturday night.
Follow Brian Mazique on Twitter. I dig boxing and MMA.
A riveting 