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Top 10 UFC Fights That Ended With Huge Stoppages

As the biggest mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion of all time, the UFC has whipped up some huge fights in its history with some of the baddest men on the planet going head-to-head against one another. Some fights between two top competitors don’t quite live up to the hype, however, as the bout ends up

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Some fights between two top competitors don’t quite live up to the hype, however, as the bout ends up putting fight fans to sleep rather than keeping them on the edge of their seat for 25 minutes or less.

Then, once in a blue moon, we get a fight that not only lives up to the hype, but exceeds it tremendously. That, my friends, is what we have compiled for you today, the top 10 biggest fights in UFC history that have ended with historic finishes. Let’s begin……

10. Cain Velasquez vs. Fabricio Werdum UFC – 188

We kick off our list in the big boys’ division, where two of the most dangerous heavyweights of all time clashed for the biggest prize in MMA.

Coming off of nearly a two-year layoff from the sport, Cain Velasquez would attempt to unify his title with the then-interim heavyweight champ Fabricio Werdum who was on a five-fight win streak.

The opening rounds were a bit back-and-forth and the arena in Mexico City was hot for their native Velasquez, however, the altitude proved to be too much for ‘Cardio Cain’ to handle as he gassed out in the third round.

Velasquez then shot in for a takedown on the Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist and was immediately wrapped up in a nasty guillotine choke. Velasquez had no other choice but to tap out and make Werdum the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.

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Gilbert Melendez Tests Positive for Testosterone Metabolites, Suspended One Year

(Eddie wasn’t angry the moment he found out Gil was juicing, just dissapointed. via Getty)

Every time I hear a UFC fighter claiming that 90% of the roster is on one kind of PED or another, I go into something of an emergency rationalization mode. Suddenly and almost subconsciously, I find myself running around my apartment like a beagle after a bath, hands clasped over my ears and screaming “It can’t be that high! Surely it’s something closer to 75%!!” Then I nuke up a Hot Pocket and take a Forget Me Now to keep my sanity intact.

Unfortunately for delusionally optimistic MMA fans like us here at CagePotato (lol!), the results that these new UFC drug-testing policies have garnered seem to align with the increasingly popular opinion that everyone in the sport is on PED’s and it’s simply a matter of time until they slip up. Case in point: Gilbert Melendez (aka Giblert aka “Le Nino”), the last guy you’d expect to test positive for anything, who conversely just tested positive for something.

Statements from Gilbert and the UFC are after the jump.

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(Eddie wasn’t angry the moment he found out Gil was juicing, just dissapointed. via Getty)

Statements from Gilbert and the UFC are after the jump.

Yes, according to BloodyElbow, Melendez tested positive for an “exogenous origin of testosterone metabolites” following his split decision loss to Eddie Alvarez at UFC 188 and has been suspended for a year as a result. The news was announced by the UFC via a press release below:

Following his bout at UFC 188 in Mexico City on June 13, UFC lightweight Gilbert Melendez tested positive for exogenous origin of testosterone metabolites. The UFC has a strict, consistent policy against the use of any illegal and/or performance enhancing drugs, stimulants or masking agents by our athletes. As a result of the positive test, Melendez has accepted a one-year suspension, effective from the date of the bout, for violating the UFC Fighter Conduct Policy and Promotional Agreement with Zuffa, LLC.

“Regrettably, I tested positive in my post fight urine sample for UFC 188,” Melendez said. “I did not inject anything, but I am responsible and accept the consequences for the results. I will make sure I am better educated about the products I use and their implications. Going forward I will ensure no products I use will contain banned substances. I am sincerely apologetic to everyone who supports me, including my fans, sponsors and the UFC. I value your trust and respect and will do everything in my power to keep it.”

Melendez will no longer compete as scheduled on July 15. UFC officials are currently seeking a new opponent for Al Iaquinta, who was scheduled to face Melendez.

Well, at least Gil accepted responsibility for it. On a related note, I think “I did not inject anything” should become MMA’s version of “I never inhaled.”

As mentioned in the release, Al Iaquinta has now lost his second dance partner (after Bobby Green) for his Fight Night 71 co-headliner, and has since been pulled from the event altogether. He is not pleased, as you might imagine.

“I want to break something. I want to slam my head on the desk again. I don’t know. I’m just disappointed. I can’t describe it, man,” said Iaquinta on yesterday’s MMA Hour.

“I was ready to go. It was a perfect fight for me stylistically. I brought in guys who really had a good style and I’ve been doing great with the sparring, so it’s just, I don’t know, I’m just frustrated right now, man. I’m real frustrated.”

We’re frustrated too, Al. But while we’re waiting to hear when and where you’ll fight next, let’s just celebrate the fact that another cheater has been outed with that timeless Queen tune. Kick it, boys!

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Gilbert Melendez Tests Positive for Testosterone Metabolites, Suspended One Year

(Eddie wasn’t angry the moment he found out Gil was juicing, just dissapointed. via Getty)

Statements from Gilbert and the UFC are after the jump.

The post Gilbert Melendez Tests Positive for Testosterone Metabolites, Suspended One Year appeared first on Cagepotato.

(Eddie wasn’t angry the moment he found out Gil was juicing, just dissapointed. via Getty)

Statements from Gilbert and the UFC are after the jump.

Following his bout at UFC 188 in Mexico City on June 13, UFC lightweight Gilbert Melendez tested positive for exogenous origin of testosterone metabolites. The UFC has a strict, consistent policy against the use of any illegal and/or performance enhancing drugs, stimulants or masking agents by our athletes. As a result of the positive test, Melendez has accepted a one-year suspension, effective from the date of the bout, for violating the UFC Fighter Conduct Policy and Promotional Agreement with Zuffa, LLC.

“Regrettably, I tested positive in my post fight urine sample for UFC 188,” Melendez said. “I did not inject anything, but I am responsible and accept the consequences for the results. I will make sure I am better educated about the products I use and their implications. Going forward I will ensure no products I use will contain banned substances. I am sincerely apologetic to everyone who supports me, including my fans, sponsors and the UFC. I value your trust and respect and will do everything in my power to keep it.”

Melendez will no longer compete as scheduled on July 15. UFC officials are currently seeking a new opponent for Al Iaquinta, who was scheduled to face Melendez.

Well, at least Gil accepted responsibility for it. On a related note, I think “I did not inject anything” should become MMA’s version of “I never inhaled.”

“I want to break something. I want to slam my head on the desk again. I don’t know. I’m just disappointed. I can’t describe it, man,” said Iaquinta on yesterday’s MMA Hour.

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More Trainers Should Follow Trevor Wittman’s Example and Stop Fights

In combat sports, coaches and corner men have an important job. Their duty is not only to instruct the fighter leading up to the contest but to keep him calm, focused and safe during the battle. Trevor Wittman embodied that role when he protected forme…

Gastelum defeated Marquardt via corner stoppage in the second round of their middleweight fight. Marquardt had taken a vicious beating up to that point, and Wittman stepped in to bring the fight to an end. Steven Marrocco of MMA Junkie reported that Wittman decided to stop the fight with one minute left in the second round.

“Taking needless damage is not good in this sport,” Wittman said. “The damage is when it affects your sharpness and the way you perform, and to see him take punishment, that’s longevity and him having kids.”

Marquardt supported his coach’s decision when the fighter was questioned about how the bout ended. He used his Facebook page to address his performance.

“Now I can say that Trevor did the right thing and protected me because I couldn’t move,” he wrote. “I’m not trying to make an excuse for losing. I don’t really feel that I need an excuse because I did my best with what I had and fought hard when I could.”

Wittman is a shining example of how a corner should act in such a situation. Mark Hunt was in a similar position when Stipe Miocic was battering him for an extended period of time at UFC Fight Night 65 in May. Instead of his corner stopping the fight, Hunt was allowed to continue until referee John Sharp ended the beating in the fifth round.

Multiple media experts expressed that this fight should have been stopped earlier:

As mixed martial arts becomes more mainstream and receives coverage from larger outlets, situations such as these need to be minimalized. The sport is brutal, and violent moments will occur; however, corners and coaches need to play their part in protecting the fighters.

Wittman did his part for Marquardt; hopefully, other coaches will be willing to follow suit if their athlete is caught in a similar situation.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Gilbert Melendez Blames High Altitude for Loss to Eddie Alvarez

Cain Velasquez wasn’t the only victim of Mexico City’s high altitude at UFC 188 on June 13. Lightweight contender Gilbert Melendez claims being 7,382 feet above sea level had a major impact on his performance against Eddie Alvarez, accordin…

Melendez, who has years of experience competing in five-round bouts, doesn’t have a history of gassing out, but he was noticeably sluggish around the midway mark of the second round. Alvarez capitalized by securing crucial takedowns that ultimately led to his winning a split decision.

Melendez wishes he could have set up camp earlier in Mexico like Fabricio Werdum did for his bout against Velasquez. Refusing to take any chances of altitude ruining his title run, the Brazilian heavyweight contender arrived in Mexico a month early to prepare for the fight. The pre-planning and extra acclimation efforts obviously paid off for Werdum, who went on to defeat Velasquez and win the UFC title.

Despite arriving a couple of weeks early, Velasquez, who is widely considered one of the most conditioned athletes in MMA, stumbled around the cage in complete exhaustion after only one round of action.

During the UFC 188 post-fight press conference, he admitted he probably needed more time to acclimate to the altitude. When appearing on The MMA Hour, Melendez echoed those same feelings after his second consecutive loss, though he insisted an insufficient budget played a major role in his delayed arrival:

I wish I could have been there a month earlier. I wish I had a budget and pay that I could fly out all my training partners. Realistically, you can’t just get out there five, six weeks early. Maybe Fabricio did it. It would have been tough to fly all my partners, my coaches who actually have the business at the gym. It just didn’t make sense.

Melendez and Velasquez weren’t the only fighters on the UFC 188 fight card who cited a negative reaction to the altitude.

Andrew Todhunter stepped in as a late replacement for Hector Urbina against Albert Tumenov. However, he passed out two days prior to the weigh-ins while attempting to cut weight. The bout was canceled a day later. He blamed the high elevation for his body shutting down, per Raimondi.

According to his coach Trevor Wittman, Nate Marquardt had blood-pressure issues leading up to his middleweight bout with Kelvin Gastelum.

“It was probably the altitude,” he said, when also speaking with MMA Fighting.

Marquardt’s difficulties with the altitude in Mexico City speaks volumes to the conditions that fighters were competing in, since he constantly trains at high altitude in Denver.

Despite everything that happened, Melendez isn’t going to let one bad experience deter him from returning to Mexico, but he admits the UFC might have to sweeten the deal a bit for a second venture that high above sea level.

“It doesn’t mean I’m scared to go back there,” he said. “If the price was right, the stars were aligned, I would definitely go back.”

Jordy McElroy is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He also is the MMA writer for FanRag Sports and co-founder of The MMA Bros.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 188 Aftermath: Another G.O.A.T Bites the Dust…

(via Getty.)

Time and time again, we like to convince ourselves that a champion is unbeatable. Anthony Pettis was unbeatable, except for when he was defeated by Clay Guida in his first UFC appearance, then again by Rafael Dos Anjos at UFC 185. Renan Barao was a pound-for-pound king, until he got torched by a massive underdog fighting on short notice. Cain Velasquez was unbeatable and the supposed greatest heavyweight of all time, except for when he was KO’d by Junior Dos Santos in just over a minute a handful of fights ago. For how often we like to claim that so and so is the best his division has ever seen, or better yet, the GOAT, we rarely seem to actually pause and look at the evidence to support such an audacious claim.

Heading into last weekend’s UFC 188, Cain Velasquez had not competed in 2 years, and held just 14 professional contests to his name, yet he was pushed with the same “greatest of all time” narrative that we’ve heard a dozen times over. And once again, we were only setting ourselves up for disappointment.

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(via Getty.)

This is not to say that Velasquez’s shocking defeat at the hands of Fabricio Werdum was entirely his fault, or a result of the altitude, or whatever excuse you may have. “Cardio Cain” was simply outworked by a much more prepared fighter, which, after 2 years on the shelf, isn’t all that hard to understand. Werdum’s brilliant gameplan was evident from the very opening of the fight: minimize movement, pick his shots, and slowly wear down a man that few (if any) have ever worn down before. Werdum’s fight-ending guillotine on his exhausted opponent was as academic as it was bewildering. The GOAT, losing via guillotine?

Fabricio Werdum killed the king, as Jack Slack would say, though I suppose he was more of an absentee king than anything else. But now I ask: How long is it before we start labeling him as the greatest heavyweight of all time? Two title defenses? Three? It doesn’t matter, because anyone who knows anything about the sport knows who that title actually belongs to. In the meantime, we’ll just keeping slapping that label on who we deem necessary, as another G.O.A.T bites the dust.

As for the rest of UFC 188? Well, it kinda sucked. Chalk it up to the altitude or whatever you want, but there was a distinct lack of energy throughout the night. The only highlight-worthy moment from the co-main event match between Eddie Alvarez and Gilbert Melendez came in between rounds, when Alvarez attempted to clear his nose in the most amateurish of ways and only succeeded in sealing his eye shut. Kelvin Gastelum put a beating on a clearly dunzo Nate Marquardt, doing little to convince Dana White 9f giving him another shot at 170 pounds in the process. Cejudo and Torres underwhelmed, Yair Rodriguez surprised, and Cathal Pendred cashed in on all that unnecessary hate he had been receiving with one of the worst performances of the year. Freaking Cathal Pendred.

The full list of UFC 188 results is below.

Main card
Fabricio Werdum def. Cain Velasquez via submission (guillotine)
Eddie Alvarez def. Gilbert Melendez via split decision
Kelvin Gastelum def. Nate Marquardt via second-round TKO
Yair Rodriguez def. Charles Rosa via split decision
Tecia Torres def. Angela Hill via unanimous decision

Undercard
Henry Cejudo def. Chico Camus via unanimous decision
Efrain Escudero def. Drew Dober via submission (guillotine)
Patrick Williams def. Alejandro Perez via submission (guillotine)
Johnny Case def. Francisco Trevino via unanimous decision
Cathal Pendred def. Augusto Montano via unanimous decision
Gabriel Benitez def. Clay Collard via unanimous decision

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