Tag: UFC 188

Kelvin Gastelum vs. Nate Marquardt: What We Learned From UFC 188 Tilt

Nate Marquardt has had his days in the sun. Saturday night was not one of those days.
Nate Marquardt was once a great fighter. He won a title in Strikeforce and was a contender for a sustained time period in the UFC. He has 33 professional wins as a fi…

Nate Marquardt has had his days in the sun. Saturday night was not one of those days.

Nate Marquardt was once a great fighter. He won a title in Strikeforce and was a contender for a sustained time period in the UFC. He has 33 professional wins as a fighter. 

But now, at age 36, it’s clear he’s coasting on fumes. After losing to Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 188 in Mexico City, Marquardt is now on the bad side of five of his last six contests. This one ended by TKO when his corner threw in the metaphorical towel between the second and third rounds.

But it gets worse. Why don’t we delve into it, if you’ve got the stomach.

 

What We’ll Remember About This Fight

There was a moment about halfway through the second round when Gastelum landed a clinch knee to Marquardt’s solar plexus; substantial, sure, but nothing overly vicious. Marquardt fell to the ground. But he didn’t fall fast. He fell in slow motion. He was, perhaps quite literally, lying down.

Beyond covering his face with his arms, Marquardt offered no additional resistance for the rest of the round. He may have thrown a punch, but if he did, it didn’t get close to landing. 

There were other moments of domination (and, let’s be frank, humiliation) in this contest. But that slow-motion crumple summed it up better than anything else could.

 

What We Learned About Kelvin Gastelum

He’s back on track—and he wants to return to welterweight. Gastelum, who was essentially forced by UFC brass to move up to middleweight after he had repeated issues making the 170-pound welterweight limit, asked for it after the fight.

“I know I made a mistake,” Gastelum told broadcaster Joe Rogan in the cage after the fight. “I want to man up…[And] do it the right way.”

We’ll see if he has that chance. But for now, at age 23 and with a win to bounce back from the sole blemish on his record, the 11-1 Gastelum is looking pretty good right where he is.

 

What We Learned About Nate Marquardt

He needs to retire. He really does. All respect to everything he has accomplished in his 16-year fight career, but it was downright pathetic to watch him fall over and go fetal on more than one occasion. Those can’t be the actions of someone who is in true fighting shape, physically or mentally. MMA analyst Patrick Wyman had this to say:

 

What’s Next for Gastelum

I’d go ahead and give him that return to welterweight. See if he can make the cut successfully now. How about the winner between Matt Brown and Tim Means, who fight later in June?

What’s Next for Marquardt

I’ll say it again. It’s time for him to hang it up. Not because he owes fans a certain narrative, but because he’s a grown man with a family. Time to look at an occupation that doesn’t involve head trauma.

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Kelvin Gastelum vs. Nate Marquardt: What We Learned From UFC 188 Tilt

Nate Marquardt has had his days in the sun. Saturday night was not one of those days.
Nate Marquardt was once a great fighter. He won a title in Strikeforce and was a contender for a sustained time period in the UFC. He has 33 professional wins as a fi…

Nate Marquardt has had his days in the sun. Saturday night was not one of those days.

Nate Marquardt was once a great fighter. He won a title in Strikeforce and was a contender for a sustained time period in the UFC. He has 33 professional wins as a fighter. 

But now, at age 36, it’s clear he’s coasting on fumes. After losing to Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 188 in Mexico City, Marquardt is now on the bad side of five of his last six contests. This one ended by TKO when his corner threw in the metaphorical towel between the second and third rounds.

But it gets worse. Why don’t we delve into it, if you’ve got the stomach.

 

What We’ll Remember About This Fight

There was a moment about halfway through the second round when Gastelum landed a clinch knee to Marquardt’s solar plexus; substantial, sure, but nothing overly vicious. Marquardt fell to the ground. But he didn’t fall fast. He fell in slow motion. He was, perhaps quite literally, lying down.

Beyond covering his face with his arms, Marquardt offered no additional resistance for the rest of the round. He may have thrown a punch, but if he did, it didn’t get close to landing. 

There were other moments of domination (and, let’s be frank, humiliation) in this contest. But that slow-motion crumple summed it up better than anything else could.

 

What We Learned About Kelvin Gastelum

He’s back on track—and he wants to return to welterweight. Gastelum, who was essentially forced by UFC brass to move up to middleweight after he had repeated issues making the 170-pound welterweight limit, asked for it after the fight.

“I know I made a mistake,” Gastelum told broadcaster Joe Rogan in the cage after the fight. “I want to man up…[And] do it the right way.”

We’ll see if he has that chance. But for now, at age 23 and with a win to bounce back from the sole blemish on his record, the 11-1 Gastelum is looking pretty good right where he is.

 

What We Learned About Nate Marquardt

He needs to retire. He really does. All respect to everything he has accomplished in his 16-year fight career, but it was downright pathetic to watch him fall over and go fetal on more than one occasion. Those can’t be the actions of someone who is in true fighting shape, physically or mentally. MMA analyst Patrick Wyman had this to say:

 

What’s Next for Gastelum

I’d go ahead and give him that return to welterweight. See if he can make the cut successfully now. How about the winner between Matt Brown and Tim Means, who fight later in June?

What’s Next for Marquardt

I’ll say it again. It’s time for him to hang it up. Not because he owes fans a certain narrative, but because he’s a grown man with a family. Time to look at an occupation that doesn’t involve head trauma.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Henry Cejudo vs. Chico Camus: What We Learned from UFC 188 Tilt

Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo is the talk of the UFC flyweight division, and his UFC 188 bout opposite Chico Camus was expected to be something of a tuneup fight. It was not.
Camus did great work, stuffing nearly all of Cejudo’s takedown attempts …

Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo is the talk of the UFC flyweight division, and his UFC 188 bout opposite Chico Camus was expected to be something of a tuneup fight. It was not.

Camus did great work, stuffing nearly all of Cejudo’s takedown attempts and tagging the big favorite at range. That said, Cejudo’s smothering clinch work was too much for Camus, as minutes spent along the cage resulted in a unanimous-decision win for The Aztec Warrior.

So what did we learn from Saturday’s fight?

 

Henry Cejudo Is Still a Work in Progress

It’s easy to get caught up with his Olympic gold medal and his rapidly developing striking, but Cejudo is still a work in progress. Camus did solid work of stifling Cejudo’s takedown attempts, and frankly, Cejudo didn’t have much offense when things started going sideways.

That isn’t the case with steely veterans, of course. Other elite-level wrestlers who made the jump to MMA have had strong Plan Bs outside of ho-hum clinch work. Not only that, but he has not yet reached that Dominick Cruz zen of wrestling, striking and grappling all flowing seamlessly together.

That shouldn’t be a surprise, though. Cejudo has just nine professional fights. Fans and pundits shouldn’t forget that.

 

Chico Camus Is Much Better Than Many Expected

Camus was regarded as a tackling dummy for this fight. The 1,975-point odds difference, per OddsShark.com, spoke to that.

The Roufusport fighter, however, was a game opponent for Cejudo. He stuffed all but one of his takedown attempts and landed more than a few good shots at range. It was a performance that many didn’t think he was capable of.

Did his stock rise in defeat? Not necessarily. But he definitely looks better than the vast majority of 3-3 (1) fighters do in the UFC.

 

Cejudo Really Should Not Challenge for the Belt Yet

There was a fair bit of discussion about Cejudo receiving a title shot with a win. The not-especially-dominant performances posted by John Dodson and Joseph Benavidez at UFC 187 opened the door for a potential fight with the seemingly unstoppable Demetrious Johnson.

That’s a terrible thing, of course. The flyweight division has seen numerous relatively inexperienced fighters get rushed into fights they weren’t quite ready for, and we have witnessed the devastating effect those sorts of fights can have time and again.

Cejudo might have made a strong case for a title shot had he run through Camus with ease. Alas, he did not, and that could well be for the best. Hopefully, this good—but not great—win buys him more time to develop before he gets a crack at the belt.

 

Cejudo’s Weight-Cutting Troubles Seem to Be Behind Him

When Cejudo first entered the UFC, there were many questions regarding his motivation and ability to contend in the UFC. Don’t remember? Just check out CagePotato.com’s breakdown.

Thankfully, he seems to have moved past all those issues. Now three fights into his UFC career, and with two uneventful cuts down to 125 pounds, Cejudo feels like he is ready to live up to his potential. And that’s a great thing.

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UFC 188 Velasquez vs. Werdum: Live Results, Play-by-Play, Fight Card Highlights

The Octagon returns to Mexico City this Saturday for UFC 188.
The fight card is highlighted by a title unification bout in the heavyweight division. Champion Cain Velasquez and interim champion Fabricio Werdum will square off for five rounds (or less) …

The Octagon returns to Mexico City this Saturday for UFC 188.

The fight card is highlighted by a title unification bout in the heavyweight division. Champion Cain Velasquez and interim champion Fabricio Werdum will square off for five rounds (or less) to determine the division’s true king.

In the co-main event of the evening, lightweights Eddie Alvarez and Gilbert Melendez will tussle. The two have long been considered the best 155-pounders outside the UFC, and they will finally meet under the banner of the world’s largest mixed martial arts promotion.

In total, UFC 188 features 11 fights. The card looks like this:

 

UFC 188 Main Card

  • Cain Velasquez vs. Fabricio Werdum
  • Gilbert Melendez vs. Eddie Alvarez
  • Kelvin Gastelum vs. Nate Marquardt
  • Yair Rodriguez vs. Charles Rosa
  • Tecia Torres vs. Angela Hill

 

Prelims on FX

  • Henry Cejudo vs. Chico Camus
  • Efrain Escudero vs. Drew Dober
  • Alejandro Perez vs. Patrick Williams
  • Francisco Trevino vs. Johnny Case

 

Prelims on UFC Fight Pass

  • Augusto Montano vs. Cathal Pendred
  • Gabriel Benitez vs. Clay Collard

Join us right here when the fights begin (7 p.m. ET) for Bleacher Report’s live play-by-play coverage of the entire UFC 188 event.

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Velasquez vs. Werdum: Final Predictions and Odds Before Start of UFC 188

Cain Velasquez and Fabricio Werdum have been on a collision course since the latter defeated Mark Hunt to gain the interim UFC heavyweight title. 
Throughout the course of UFC history, interim titles haven’t meant much. They’re just glorified plac…

Cain Velasquez and Fabricio Werdum have been on a collision course since the latter defeated Mark Hunt to gain the interim UFC heavyweight title. 

Throughout the course of UFC history, interim titles haven’t meant much. They’re just glorified placeholders that create an official No. 1 contender. With Velasquez now ready to return to action, Werdum is the one who must prove he really is championship material. 

It’s a monumental task for the 37-year-old. Velasquez comes into the bout as the No. 4 fighter on the UFC’s pound-for-pound rankings, and his only loss came at the hands of one of the most powerful punchers in the division. Here’s a look at the tale of the tape, including the latest odds from Odds Shark.

Here are a few predictions as to how the fight will shake out in Mexico City. 

 

Velasquez Keeps It Standing Early

The most popular argument that Werdum can win this fight traces back to the champion’s first fight against Junior dos Santos. In that bout, he was coming off a layoff of more than a year and was caught early. The fight ended in just 64 seconds as JDS emphatically took the title. 

With Velasquez coming off another long layoff, there’s a shot that Werdum could do something similar. However, where Werdum is most dangerous in the short term is in his submission game. Velasquez is known for his fierce takedowns, but that takes him right to the guard of the interim champion. 

With no sweat early in the fight, the odds that Vai Cavalo locks in a quick submission are increased. It’s with that in mind that Velasquez might opt instead to spend much of the first round putting the pressure on Werdum on the feet. 

Standing with Werdum doesn’t come without risk. Velasquez and Werdum are actually No. 4 and 5, respectively, in the organization in significant strike accuracy, per FightMetric. But the one-strike power of JDS isn’t there for Werdum, and few can outstrike Velasquez in the clinch. 

 

The Majority of the Fight Will Be in the Clinch

If you’re someone who finds clinch fighting to be boring, this isn’t the fight for you. Both of these fighters have utilized the clinch in different ways to get to where they are today. 

A large part of Werdum’s evolution from elite jiu-jitsu practitioner to well-rounded fighter has come in the improvement of his clinch striking. He used the position to batter Roy Nelson and continues to show an understanding of how to levy damage from the muay thai clinch specifically. 

That success might work against him in this case, though. Velasquez is no slouch in the clinch department himself. Connor Ruebusch of Bloody Elbow summed up the former Arizona State wrestler’s use of the clinch during his rise to prominence:

As with all pressure fighters, Velasquez thrives when he can keep the initiative, and literally blinding the opponent is a surefire way to keep him on the reactive. In close, Velasquez makes liberal use of his head to control and manipulate the opponent. It’s mean, and it’s beautiful, and it has played a major role in his ascension to the top of the heavyweight division.

There’s no doubt that Velasquez will look to close the distance and pin Werdum against the cage. It’s a staple of his game. By the same token, Werdum might not look to discourage that. It’s a recipe for a bout that will feature a lot of fighting for position. 

 

Velasquez Will Draw the Finish

Velasquez’s game plan for this bout will look a lot like his others: keep pressuring Werdum until he ultimately wilts. 

Werdum is a tough fighter. However, none of the fighters he has seen during his five-fight win streak set a pace anywhere close to the one the champion will set. 

The champion’s signature pressure has crumbled every opponent he’s seen to date. He’s even avenged the only loss of his career twice. Unless the injuries that Velasquez suffered during his time away from the cage have diminished his ability to keep up that pressure for five rounds, it’s difficult to envision a new challenger holding that title at the end of the night. 

Prediction: Velasquez by third-round TKO.

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Cain Velasquez vs. Fabricio Werdum: Keys to Victory for Both Fighters at UFC 188

UFC 188 will mark the rarest of occurrences for MMA fans: A Cain Velasquez sighting. The heavyweight champion will return to action to unify his belt with Fabricio Werdum’s interim title for the first time since he defeated Junior dos Santos in October…

UFC 188 will mark the rarest of occurrences for MMA fans: A Cain Velasquez sighting. The heavyweight champion will return to action to unify his belt with Fabricio Werdum‘s interim title for the first time since he defeated Junior dos Santos in October 2013. 

As great as Velasquez has been throughout his career, injuries have always nagged the champion. A knee injury and shoulder issues were the latest cause for a long layoff. In total, the champ has fought just 14 times in a nine-year career. 

Since Velasquez’s last fight, Werdum has done a lot to prove he’s among the elites in the division. The former ADCC Submission Wrestling Gold Medalist has proved that he’s not only a jiu-jitsu wiz, but a devastating striker with a decision win over Travis Browne and TKO victory over Mark Hunt. 

But is that enough to give him a shot against Velasquez? Oddsmakers don’t think so. According to Odds Shark, Vai Cavalo comes in as a 4-1 underdog, while Velasquez is a 2-11 favorite to retain. 

Here’s a look at the key for each fighter as they look to have Dana White wrap the undisputed heavyweight championship belt around their waist. 

 

Werdum: Be Aggressive Early, Stay at Range

The last time Velasquez faced a long layoff was his first title defense. Fresh off a stunning dismantling of Brock Lesnar, the champion fought Junior dos Santos in front of a national audience on Fox nearly 13 months later. 

That did not go well. JDS landed a vicious overhand right that put the champion on the mat. And a new champion was crowned. 

Obviously, Velasquez went on to fight Dos Santos twice more and won each in increasingly convincing fashion. But the question remains: How much did the layoff impact him the first time around?

Clearly, a layoff didn’t throw the punch. Credit has to be given to Dos Santos for throwing the massive right hand. There is something to the notion that the impact was greater because Velasquez hadn’t fought in a long time. 

It’s a thought that Werdum needs to put to the fight early. Javier Mendez, Velasquez’s longtime trainer, even admitted there will be some element of rust when his fighter enters the cage. “There is going to be some ring rust,” Mendez said, as reported by Ben Fowlkes of MMAjunkie. “That’s just a fact. It’s a question of how much, and it’s going to be very little in Cain’s case.”

That’s a question that Werdum needs to test early on. With the latest displays of power he’s put on in his knockout win over Hunt, there’s at least a chance he could repeat history with a big shot early on. 

However, if he can’t be fortuitous enough to crack Velasquez, pressuring the pressure fighter might not be the best of ideas. As Reed Kuhn of Fightnomics highlights, Werdum actually has a very effective jab compared to his opponent’s:

Velasquez’s greatest strength lies in his ability to wear opponents down in the clinch. He will stand and trade if he has to, but he’s most comfortable in the clinch, where he can work takedowns and ultimately overwhelm opponents with volume. 

However, simply throwing the jab won’t be enough for Vai Cavalo. As seen in the video below, Antonio Minotauro Nogueira tried to utlitize the jab to keep Velasquez at bay, but he didn’t bring another punch with it to throw a combination and didn’t use an angle to get out of range. 

He quickly found the canvas:

Werdum’s ground game is as advanced as they come in the heavyweight division. However, grappling with someone as strong and violent on the ground as Velasquez is a risky proposition. If Werdum can use his recently polished striking to turn this into a pure kickboxing match, he’s going to be able to test Velasquez’s cardio after his long layoff. 

 

Velasquez: Trust the Process, Close the Distance

Simply put, Cain Velasquez is a better fighter than Fabricio Werdum. 

At this point, Velasquez knows who he is as a fighter. He’s a relentless cardio machine who continues to apply pressure on whoever is in front of him until they crumble. 

While there might be a temptation for him to ease into things and feel his opponent out, that’s not what got him to this stage in his career. His immense, overwhelming volume did. According to FightMetric, only Jessica Andrade lands more significant strikes per minute.

For reference, Andrade is in the women’s bantamweight division. That means Velasquez is second in volume only to a 135-pound fighter. A look at the top 10 reveals no other heavyweights (Fabio Maldonado spent 35 seconds in the division getting knocked out by Stipe Miocic). 

Velasquez’s ability to outwork his opponents comes from swarming clinch and top games, not from standing in prolonged kickboxing bouts. 

Establishing that pace should be priority No. 1. And at least one pundit believes Velasquez will have no problem getting off to a hot start. Josh Gross pointed out that the Mexico crowd could benefit the Mexican-American in the opening frame:

There is one caveat to Velasquez’s usual process of slowly pulverizing his opponents. Takedowns will need to wind up in advantageous positions that are not the guard of Werdum. Vai Cavalo has earned this title shot by tuning up his stand-up game, but he’s still the man who submitted Nogueira. 

Then again, it all comes down to Velasquez doing what Velasquez does best. Pressure. If Werdum is defending a constant stream of passes, transitions and strikes, it’s that much more difficult to latch on to an arm, choke or other appendage and draw the tap. 

Essentially, as long as the same Velasquez that mauled Dos Santos back at UFC 166 shows up, this will just be another chapter in his slow-growing resume of greatness. 

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