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UFC 180: Hunt, Werdum and the End of the Baddest Man on the Planet

Someone is leaving Mexico a happy man on Saturday night. They’ll be wrapped in a shiny gold belt and serving as an exclamation point to the UFC’s first-ever visit to the country, perhaps fresh off of knocking a man out cold while thousands cheer wildly…

Seems like quite the adrenaline rush. Quite the accomplishment, too.

Only there’s a problem there, and it won’t matter whether it’s Mark Hunt or Fabricio Werdum on the right side of the ledger at UFC 180, that problem is the same: It basically doesn’t matter.

That shiny gold belt is mostly a farce. Winning it is to win a chance at some sort of wait-and-see purgatory, and even if you come out of that purgatory ahead in the long run, no one is going to care.

The days of the heavyweight champion of the world being “The Baddest Man on the Planet” are long over, and there’s no sign that they’re coming back Saturday. Or anytime soon after.

That issue is a tree of many roots. Since the days of Mike Tyson, no one atop the heavyweight throne in boxing has been considered particularly bad. Now he’s off solving animated mysteries and most people can’t even name the heavyweight champion(s) of the world, much less try to quantify their badness.

With MMA having taken over as the premier sport in which to watch behemoths wail on one another, there have been fits and starts. No one much cared in the days of Randy Couture and Pedro Rizzo, and neither had any amount of badness to them. They were largely seen as humble martial artists trying to win a title in a fledgling sport.

The Tim Sylvia and Andrei Arlovski era was similar, save for the humility. Frank Mir had a run around there too, but no one ever got too excited about him for his badness.

Only when the UFC landed Brock Lesnar did they truly have a star worthy of such a bombastic mantle. He was the first in MMA that people felt worthy of being called “The Baddest Man on the Planet” and was probably the first in any combat sport since Tyson to have perceived credibility in the role.

Then he was utterly and completely torched by Cain Velasquez, and people realized he was largely a sham. Velasquez, though? He wasn’t. He was the true “Baddest Man on the Planet,” and it was clear he would be for a long time.

Only he wasn’t, either.

He lost his first title defense and has been so mired in injury slumps since avenging that loss that people wouldn’t even remember what he looks like if he wasn’t out there getting some promotional reps in.

All of this is to recap a path that’s given the world UFC 180. An event originally designed to blast Velasquez into the stratosphere of global superstardom, it now has two exciting in-cage performers fighting for an interim title in a bout that most people won’t care a thing about.

It’s the fifth time the UFC has implemented an interim heavyweight title in the past decade. Every other weight class combined has seen only three in the same stretch, which could be coloring the heavyweight concerns as well.

The problem, however, remains. UFC 180 will mark the end of the days of “The Baddest Man on the Planet” being the man who has the heavyweight championship of the world. It will moreso mark the continuation of a time where just being able to show up healthy and fight a top guy is enough to get in the conversation.

It’s a proposition that’s been all too familiar to the UFC in recent years when it comes to crowning arguably their most important champion.

Unfortunately there isn’t any end in sight, and Saturday is another night in a list of them that’s been collecting for the better part of a decade.

Follow me on Twitter @matthewjryder!

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Werdum vs. Hunt: Latest Comments and Predictions for UFC 180

Fabricio Werdum gets his long-awaited title opportunity in UFC 180 Saturday night against Mark Hunt, with the winner claiming the interim heavyweight belt and setting up a potential showdown with Cain Velasquez.
Of course, the defending heavyweight cha…

Of course, the defending heavyweight champion was slated to face Werdum in the main event of this anticipated fight card before he pulled out due to a knee injury that could keep him out until at least March. Now, Hunt will get an opportunity to become champion that even the 40-year-old had to think was in the rearview mirror at times.

No stranger to facing elite competition, Hunt will step up to the challenge—but will it be enough to thwart a hungry and determined Werdum, who has been preparing for months to face Velasquez in the fight of his career?

We’ll soon find out, but let’s go ahead and take a closer look at the matchup below.

When: Saturday, November 14

Where: Arena Ciudad de Mexico, Mexico City

Watch: UFC.tv pay-per-view (main card starts 10 p.m. ET)

Odds: Werdum (-410), Hunt (+365), according to Odds Shark (last updated Nov. 14 at 9 p.m. ET).

Latest UFC 180 Comments and Predictions

At 40 years old and well-versed in the UFC with notable bouts against some of the top heavyweights, Hunt is no stranger to the quality of opponent he’ll face on Saturday night.

The turnaround, however, is undoubtedly a new thing.

Hunt had all of three weeks to go from 300 pounds to the 265 limit necessary to fight in the heavyweight division, and he did just that on Friday afternoon. Now that that’s behind him, he plans on bulking up in the 24 hours leading up to the fight, per Daniel Richardson of the New Zealand Herald:

Of course, cutting the weight was only the first thing on the agenda. Next up is the challenge of beating Werdum, who has been gearing up for his long-anticipated title shot against Velasquez.

Hunt has defeated the likes of Stefan Struve, Roy Nelson and Cheick Kongo as of late. He also had a draw against Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva in one of the best fights of 2013.

He is aware of his underdog role in Saturday’s fight and isn’t backing down from it, per MMAFighting.com’s Shaun Al-Shatti: “My whole career has 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.”

Despite Hunt’s undeniable heart and grit, he won’t be a match for the likes of Werdum.

Once touted primarily for his jiu-jitsu fighting skills and not much else, Werdum used to struggle against formidable strikers. He put that all to bed against Travis Browne in his last fight, dominating the striking expert and pulling out an easy victory.

Fox Sports’ Daniel Cormier and Phil Davis like Werdum to do the same on Saturday against Hunt.

As for ESPN’s new UFC expert Chael Sonnen, he believes Werdum’s smaller size acts as an advantage and also lauded the 37-year-old’s world-class ground game.

Regardless, some folks like Kale Havervold of Yahoo Sports believe Saturday’s fight will only lead to the inevitable—Velasquez retaining his heavyweight title:

Hunt has been in these types of positions before where everyone is counting against him. His recent surge suggests that he’s worthy of being selected and also promises that he’ll prove to be more than just a test for Werdum.

With that said, he’s nowhere near at 100 percent after having to cut so much weight. Meanwhile, Werdum has been gearing up for the biggest fight of his career—which is now coming against a much inferior foe.

Hunt will keep it interesting in the first few rounds but will get slowly overtaken by Werdum’s conditioning and overall ability. By the end of the five rounds, there will be no doubt that Werdum deserves the shot at Velasquez.

Prediction: Werdum wins via unanimous decision

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UFC 180: Start Time, Prelim Live Stream Info and Full Fight Card Predictions

Fabricio Werdum and Mark Hunt will headline a packed UFC 180 card with a fight Saturday for the interim heavyweight title in Mexico City, Mexico.
Having won his last four UFC bouts, Werdum enters the event as the favorite to become a placeholder champi…

Fabricio Werdum and Mark Hunt will headline a packed UFC 180 card with a fight Saturday for the interim heavyweight title in Mexico City, Mexico.

Having won his last four UFC bouts, Werdum enters the event as the favorite to become a placeholder champion for the injured Cain Velasquez, who was originally supposed to defend the belt against “Vai Cavalo.”

On the other hand, Hunt can cement his improbable climb up the heavyweight ladder years after suffering six straight losses. Will the 40-year-old Samoan capitalize on his opportunity? His quest for glory is the top story entering the weekend, but it’s just one of five fights occupying the main card after six preliminary bouts.

Here are the latest predictions for each fight on the UFC 180 schedule.

When: Saturday, Nov. 15

Where: Arena Ciudad de Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico

Start Time: UFC Fight Pass Prelims at 7 p.m. ET; Fox Sports 1 Prelims at 8 p.m. ET; Main Card PPV at 10 p.m. ET

Live Stream: UFC.TV , Fox Sports Go (for preliminary fights on FS1)

Werdum vs. Hunt Preview

Everyone loves an underdog story, which makes Hunt the primary rooting interest given his unlikely journey to this fight.

A quick glance at the tale of the tape reveals an uninspiring 10-8-1 record in mixed martial arts, hardly the resume of a champion. After starting his career at 5-1, he lost six consecutive battles, going over four years without a victory.

He then turned the corner, rattling off four UFC wins to earn a 5-1-1 mark since that sour patch from May 5 2006 to Feb. 26, 2011. Feel-good comebacks top the underdog checklist, and facing the top-ranked heavyweight only bolsters that narrative.

Hunt acknowledged and embraced that role heading into the biggest fight of his career, per MMAFighting.com’s Shaun Al-Shatti:

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.

Also working against Hunt, he had to slash his weight to 265 pounds. Along with dealing with Mexico City’s high altitudes, he admitted to Al-Shatti that he’s battling sluggishness due to a strict diet:

I haven’t had any carbs for three weeks, so I’m hungry. When I have some carbs, I’ll have the energy to think about my plan and my performance and my fighting. My plan ultimately is to go and hurt him. If you don’t know, this is the hurt business. And we’re pretty good at hurting people. My job is to go hurt Fabricio as much as I can, so he doesn’t put a hurt on me. I’ll make up a plan while I’m doing it

Both veterans bring a different style to the octagon. While Werdum has obtained half of his victories by submission, Hunt has yet to make an opponent tap. He has, however, procured a 70 percent knockout rate, collecting his last three victories via KO.

Sherdog.com’s Javier Vazquez cited Werdum’s takedown skills as his meal ticket to besting Hunt.

Everyone loves Hunt’s story, but he has a tall task with Werdum. If the fight hits the ground, it should be over quickly. If Werdum wants to test his standup, I would recommend against it against Hunt. He is very durable and hits very hard. The safe bet is to take Hunt down, which could prove to be challenging, as his takedown defense has gotten better.

For Werdum to emerge victorious, he must bring Hunt to the mat, no easy task considering his burly opponent’s 72.13 takedown defense percentage. Yet the grappling artist can’t afford to test Hunt’s stand-up game, as a battle of strikes bodes poorly for the 37-year-old Brazilian.

Look for Werdum to put Hunt’s redemption saga to rest with a submission, making him the temporary champion until Velasquez is ready to fight for the crown.

Prediction: Werdum via submission

Note: Fight stats courtesy of UFC.com

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UFC 180 Live Results, Play-by-Play and Fight Card Highlights

The UFC makes an historic trip to Mexico City this Saturday, November 15, for UFC 180. The event is the first ever to be held in Mexico, a country with a rich tradition of producing successful boxers but a near blank slate in terms of mixed martial art…

Penetration into the Mexican market was originally supported by the presence of Cain Velasquez, the promotion’s heavyweight champion, and a man proud of his Mexican roots. However, an untimely injury prevented Velasquez from competing.

Injuries spread beyond the headliner, destroying much of the original lineup, leaving a UFC 180 cast chocked full of newcomers and not-so-recognized faces, even on the pay-per-view main card.

The reconfigured main event now sees Fabricio Werdum face off with Mark Hunt for an interim heavyweight title.

The co-main event of the night pits rising welterweight Kelvin Gastelum against divisional top-10 stalwart Jake Ellenberger.

The final two preliminary bouts of the evening will function as the finales of The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America.

The entire UFC 180 fight card is as follows:

UFC 180 Main Card

Fabricio Werdum vs. Mark Hunt
Jake Ellenberger vs. Kelvin Gastelum
Ricardo Lamas vs. Dennis Bermudez
Augusto Dodger Montano vs. Chris Heatherly
Edgar Garcia vs. Héctor Urbina

Fox Sports 1 Prelims

Yair Rodriguez vs. Leonardo Morales
Alejandro Perez vs. Jose Quinonez
Jessica Eye vs. Leslie Smith
Gabriel Benitez vs. Humberto Brown

Fight Pass Prelims

Henry Briones vs. Guido Cannetti
Marco Beltran vs. Marlon Vera

Join us here once the action begins (prelims at 7 p.m. ET, main card at 10) for Bleacher Report’s live play-by-play coverage of each and every bout.

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Jake Ellenberger Prepared for Crucial Bout with Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 180

Pressure is a different type of animal and one Jake Ellenberger is familiar with.
The welterweight powerhouse has been a staple of the welterweight division’s upper tier for the past handful of years and has traded leather with a collection of the best…

Pressure is a different type of animal and one Jake Ellenberger is familiar with.

The welterweight powerhouse has been a staple of the welterweight division’s upper tier for the past handful of years and has traded leather with a collection of the best fighters the 170-pound fold has to offer in the process. Over that stretch The Juggernaut has put together multiple winning streaks and racked up victories over former champions and title challengers alike, which put him within striking distance of a welterweight title shot.

Yet, tides change rapidly at the top level of mixed martial arts, and the 29-year-old Omaha, Nebraska, native is facing a different type of challenge at this current juncture of his career.

Where Ellenberger once had serious momentum to become a title contender, he’s now fighting to keep his place in the elite tier of the highly competitive welterweight collective. A two-fight skid has put Ellenberger‘s back against the proverbial wall, and a third consecutive loss would put any hopes of a future title bid on ice.

These are all understood realities for the former Marine, but he’s never been one to fold when the chips are down. Instead, Ellenberger is keeping his outlook locked in the positive realm and putting every ounce of focus on his upcoming tilt with talented upstart Kelvin Gastelum.

He will step in to mix it up with The Ultimate Fighter season 19 winner at UFC 180 in Mexico City, and Ellenberger is putting everything he has to give into turning back the surging prospect.

In his mind, that’s the possible option, and he’s determined to turn things around in a big way on Saturday night.

“I’ve changed up my training and have found a lot of value in that,” Ellenberger told Bleacher Report. “In the past, I really feel I’ve done too much training and spread myself thin because of it. Being able to have more direction and focus on my training with my coach Edmond [Tarverdyan] has been a big change, and I feel great because of it. I’ve been loose and having fun in the gym. I’ve stayed relax, and when you have fun you do well. I’m not wearing any kind of pressure on my shoulders and everything has been good.

“In my mind I make things a little more simple. If you aren’t No. 1, then it doesn’t really matter what you are. It doesn’t matter if you are No. 5, 9 or 20 because anything outside of that No. 1 spot doesn’t matter. There are no easy fights at this level because everybody is tough. I like the matchup with Gastelum a lot because he’s willing to fight and engage, and I do well against fighters with that style.”

While Gastelum has been thriving in his underdog role since winning the reality-based fighting program, his bout with Ellenberger represents passage into the deepest waters of competition the welterweight division has to offer. That said, Ellenberger has been battling at the elite level for years, and he believes that caliber of experience will go a long way in his upcoming bout with Gastelum.

He also believes he’ll have the edge in the stylistic matchup as Ellenberger has found a solid amount of success when facing opponents with aggressive styles. Gastelum works behind a hard-charging attack that doesn’t let up, and Ellenberger feels he’ll have the answer to anything his 23-year-old opponent brings to the table.

“Kelvin is a wrestler, and that makes it very exciting as well,” Ellenberger said. “I haven’t been able to face a wrestler in a long time, and that will be interesting. At the top level you have to face the toughest fighters out there. My last two fights have been against two of the best guys in the world, so it’s like I’ve been marinating, and I know exactly what it’s like.

“I have fought guys like Kelvin in the past. I know what they know and can make adjustments. I’ve trained with wrestlers my entire life. I really have grown to have a better understanding of ring generalship and how to control the center and set the rhythm. There are so many things that have become more clear to me and that allows me to bring more confidence into this fight with Kelvin.”

In addition to the challenges he will face inside the Octagon on Saturday night, every fighter on the card at UFC 180 will be forced to do with the thin air that comes with Mexico City sitting more than 7,000 feet above sea level. The grind of an MMA fight is tough as is, and competing at elevation has proven to zap a normally conditioned fighter’s gas tank in quick fashion.

Nevertheless, Ellenberger has prepared to compete in the conditions surrounding Mexico City and believes it will provide a unique puzzle he’s looking forward to solving on Saturday night.

“The elevation is a going to be a fun little variable in this fight,” Ellenberger said. “I’ve spent a lot of time training in altitude like Big Bear and in the mountains around where I live. It’s one of those things that’s more mental than anything. You have to be comfortable in that atmosphere. I believe if you are in shape, then you’re in shape.

“It’s kind of funny because fighting is so uncomfortable as it is, so why don’t we put it at 10,000 ft. to make it just a little more uncomfortable,” he laughed. “Let’s make it just a little bit harder to breathe when you are already stepping in there to fight another man. Why not? But all jokes aside, I’m in shape, and I’m ready to go.”

Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.

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Video: Chael Sonnen Breaks Down Fabricio Werdum vs. Mark Hunt on SportsCenter

And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for — Chael Sonnen‘s debut appearance as a professional sports-talker on ESPN. In this clip that aired earlier today on SportsCenter, Sonnen breaks down tomorrow night’s UFC 180 main event between Fabricio Werdum and Mark Hunt, answering discussion questions from some random stiff* who mispronounces Werdum’s name, disses Roy Nelson’s gut, and ends the segment by bringing up the return of Brock Lesnar. Actually, that part spurred Chael’s best line:

“I called [Lesnar’s] manager Paul Heyman this morning. I said, ‘Paul, it’s Chael. I’ve got a new job on SportsCenter. If you give me a quote regarding Brock, it’ll really make me look good.’ He said ‘Chael,’ and I quote: ‘I’m sleeping,’ and then he hung up.”

* I mean, I’m sure some of you people watch ESPN and know who Chael’s straight-man is, but I don’t, and he’s not worth googling.