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UFC 188 Start Time: Full Card, TV Info, Live Stream, Velasquez vs. Werdum Picks

Headlined by the return of heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez against interim titleholder Fabricio Werdum, UFC 188 is set to bring the violence to Mexico City. The Mexican-American champion hasn’t defended his belt since October 13. Multiple inju…

Headlined by the return of heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez against interim titleholder Fabricio Werdum, UFC 188 is set to bring the violence to Mexico City.

The Mexican-American champion hasn’t defended his belt since October 13. Multiple injuries have kept him from reminding people that he’s the best heavyweight alive, and at this point there’s at least some intrigue as to whether he can continue that claim.

The heavyweight romp isn’t the only thing fans have to look forward to, though. The co-main event features two free-swinging lightweights in a long-awaited matchup between Eddie Alvarez and Gilbert Melendez. Here’s a look at the complete card, with predictions and storylines to watch unfold.

Live Stream: UFC.tv

Prelim Live Stream: UFC Fight Pass

Is Henry Cejudo Ready for a Title Shot?

In a very short period of time from now, there’s a possibility we look back on this card and realize one of its biggest stars was on the prelims. Henry Cejudo has the potential to be the next flyweight champion.

The 28-year-old is an Olympic gold medalist freestyle wrestler who has successfully transferred his style to the Octagon. According to FightMetric, he landed six takedowns in his flyweight debut against Chris Cariaso.

Now Cejudo makes his second appearance in the division against a veteran in Camus who should offer him an opportunity to put his skill on display. Some—such as Adam Martin of MMA Odds Breaker—see this as an opportunity for the Olympian to grab a title shot:

If Henry Cejudo dominates Chico Camus tomorrow night, I’d be OK with him jumping past Dodson for the next title shot against Mighty Mouse.

— Adam Martin (@MMAdamMartin) June 12, 2015

Cejudo himself doesn’t shy away from his expectations of being a champion. “I think it’ll be about timing,” he told MMAjunkie Radio. “I feel ready now, but obviously I have a team behind me, and we make a decision together. It’s not just me, myself and I. It’s my team that comes together, and we make the best decision possible. We not only can win the belt, but win it decisively – with dominance.”

Backing up that claim starts with dismantling Camus.

Eddie Alvarez or Gilbert Melendez: Who Will Step Back into Contention?

For years, Eddie Alvarez and Gilbert Melendez represented the best of talent outside the UFC. Alvarez, the lightweight champion of Bellator; Melendez, the titleholder in Strikeforce.

However, neither has had a perfect transition to the UFC. Melendez is 1-2 in the Octagon, although it should be noted that both of those losses were for the title, so the level of competition has been as high as possible in both of those losses.

Alvarez’s highly anticipated UFC debut was foiled by a red-hot Donald Cerrone.

So while both fighters still hold top-10 spots in the UFC’s lightweight rankings, neither can afford a loss here if they want to return to contention. If the confrontational weigh-in tweeted out by UFC on Fox was any indication, these two are going to throw heavy leather until one or the other can’t fight anymore.

WATCH: Gilbert Melendez and Eddie Alvarez come face-to-face in a heated #UFC188 weigh in staredown https://t.co/Sp4MiqSrqr

— FOX Sports: UFC (@UFCONFOX) June 13, 2015

Who Will Hold the Heavyweight Title?

The main event is a tough one to prognosticate. There’s no doubt that a prime Cain Velasquez is the best heavweight on the planet. His pace and ferocity is unlike anything we’ve seen in the history of the division.

However, there’s no way of knowing if that Velasquez still exists. He’s been out of the cage for nearly 18 months. Eventually injuries and age have to start deteriorating skills, right?

At 32 years old, there’s reason to believe that Velasquez can’t just recover the way he used to from injury.

So the question becomes whether Werdum is the fighter to test that. Certainly he’s a dangerous opponent. The former ADCC Gold Medalist has one of the most dangerous guards in MMA. However, it’s going to take an athlete to test the champion.

Looking at who Werdum has beaten along the way to this title shot, no one has the athleticism or quickness that Vai Cavalo will see in the title fight. Roy Nelson, Mark Hunt, Travis Browne and Minotauro Nogueira might be dangerous heavyweights, but none fight with the same quickness of Velasquez.

There are plenty of new challenges out there for Velasquez. He hasn’t fought someone not named Antonio Silva or Junior dos Santos since 2010. But Werdum isn’t the one to test him.

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Velasquez vs. Werdum: Latest Comments, Weigh-in Info and Predictions for UFC 188

The weigh-ins for UFC 188 in Mexico went over without a hitch—except for one unfortunate incident. Andrew Todhunter and Albert Tumenov’s bout was scrapped after the former passed out during his weight cut, per Damon Martin of Fox Sports.
Todhunte…

Todhunter would have made his UFC debut, but he was ruled medically ineligible after the incident. It happened too close to the event for the UFC to find a replacement, so the fight was removed from the card.

The rest of the bouts, including the main event, will take place as planned. Both Cain Velasquez and Fabricio Werdum made weight. Velasquez is returning to the Octagon after nearly two years off because of injuries. Werdum is the interim champion, having won the strap against Mark Hunt in November 2014—a fight that was supposed to be against Velasquez for the title, reported by Sherdog.

This fight is long overdue, and it’s one most MMA fans can’t wait to finally see happen. With the fighters weights on point, there’s nothing short of a freak accident that could cause another delay or cancellation.

Here’s a list of the weigh-in results for every fight on the revised card, per Thomas Gerbasi of UFC.com. Weights are listed in pounds in parentheses:

Main Event: UFC Heavyweight Championship

Fabricio Werdum (236) vs. Cain Velasquez (242)

PPV Main Card

Eddie Alvarez (156) vs.. Gilbert Melendez (156)
Nate Marquardt (184) vs. Kelvin Gastelum (185)
Charles Rosa (145) vs. Yair Rodriguez (145)
Angela Hill (115) vs. Tecia Torres (114)

FX Prelims

Chico Camus (126) vs. Henry Cejudo (125)
Drew Dober (155) vs. Efrain Escudero (156)
Patrick Williams (136) vs. Alejandro Perez (136)
Johnny Case (155) vs. Francisco Trevino (154)

UFC Fight Pass Early Prelims

Cathal Pendred (170) vs. Augusto “Dodger” Montano (170)
Clay Collard (146) vs. Gabriel Benitez (145)

Predictions

Calm Staredown

VELASQUEZ vs WERDUM!!! pic.twitter.com/zb3BCls4dK

— Dana White (@danawhite) June 13, 2015

Despite the bad blood that is seemingly building between Velasquez and Werdum, there were no fireworks during the staredown at the weigh-in. The two men kept their distance and didn’t force UFC president Dana White to keep them apart.

In the days leading up the fight, Werdum has taken shots at Velasquez’s heritage. Per BJPenn.com, the 37-year-old Brazilian said that Velasquez isn’t “Mexican, Mexican” because he wasn’t born in Mexico.

Velasquez didn’t appreciate the comments and has referred to Werdum as “two-faced,” per MMA Fighting:

Will this exchange result in a more aggressive Velasquez? It’s hard to tell, but that could be a bad tactic for the champion. Werdum loves to counter, and an agitated Velasquez could be falling into his trap. On Saturday, we’ll find out who deserves to be called the baddest man on the planet.

Cejudo and Gastelum Make Weight…Yes!

Henry Cejudo and Kelvin Gastelum are two of the more gifted fighters in their respective weight classes, but both men have had serious issues making weight in the past. That wasn’t the case this time around, as both men didn’t even need the extra pound that’s allowed to each fighter.

Tommy Hackett of Caged Insider was especially happy for the Mexican-American Cejudo as he prepares to perform in front of the Mexican fans:

Nice to see a good ovation for Mexican-American Henry Cejudo. Nicer to see him make weight. #UFC188

— Tommy Hackett (@tommy_hackett) June 12, 2015

Cejudo’s biggest impediment toward a successful trip to Mexico was the weight cut. He has Chico Camus overmatched in every facet of fighting. This bout should turn into a showcase for Cejudo and a precursor to a bout with UFC flyweight champion Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson.

Per his Twitter, Gastelum says he’s “on a mission.”

#OnAmission4Gold #Ready4War Photo by @jeffbottari pic.twitter.com/CWmyBy24aK

— #OnAmission4Gold (@KelvinGastelum) June 12, 2015

Without question, the first step toward accomplishing his goal is staying in shape consistently. Gastelum is doing that. He must now take care of business against veteran Nate Marquardt on Saturday. In good shape, Gastelum is a handful. Against a relatively one-dimensional grappler such as Marquardt, Gastelum should have the edge.

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UFC 188: Start Time, Prelim Live-Stream Info and Full Fight Card Predictions

UFC 188 will feature a highly anticipated battle for the heavyweight title, although fans will have plenty to watch throughout Saturday night with a total of 11 intriguing matchups leading up to the main event.
Besides the big story of how well Cain Ve…

Besides the big story of how well Cain Velasquez will fight in his return to the Octagon against Fabricio Werdum, fans will get to see what should be a close battle between Gilbert Melendez and Eddie Alvarez as well as a look at an up-and-coming fighter, Kelvin Gastelum.

In the preliminary matches, guys like Henry Cejudo, Johnny Case and Albert Tumenov can showcase their talent even if their battles are one-sided. No matter what style of competition you like, there will be enough of it on Saturday.

Here is a look at what you need to know before the start of the event to help you follow along.

UFC 188

When: Saturday, June 13

Where: Mexico City Arena, Mexico City, Mexico

Prelim Start Time: 6:30 p.m. ET

Prelim Live Stream: UFC Fight Pass

PPV Start Time: 10 p.m. ET

PPV Purchasing Info: UFC TV

Top Fights to Watch

Kelvin Gastelum vs. Nate Marquardt

There is a big difference in this match when it comes to experience, as noted by Bleacher Report’s Scott Harris:

Despite just being 23 years old, though, Gastelum has a lot of promise as a fighter. He won his first 10 matches before falling to Tyron Woodley in a split decision. He also knows how to finish opponents, as seven of his wins have been by submission or TKO.

Nate Marquardt has the size advantage as well as the overwhelming gap in experience, as the 36-year-old veteran has a 33-14 record in his career. Unfortunately, the last few years haven’t been great with four losses in his last five bouts.

Marquardt still knows how to beat good fighters, but at his age he doesn’t have the quickness he once did.

This will be a good chance for Gastelum to take advantage and get back on the right track after his previous loss.

Prediction: Gastelum wins by submission.

Gilbert Melendez vs. Eddie Alvarez

Two veteran fighters who can still get it done could create the most intriguing match of the pay-per-view.

Gilbert Melendez and Eddie Alvarez have discussed a match against each other for some time, with both men calling each other out on occasion. After years of bickering, they will finally get together at UFC 188.

This could not have come soon enough for Melendez, according to Damon Martin of Fox Sports:

It’s put up or shut up time. It’s time for both of us to put up and get this done. There are just some guys you are destined to scrap with and I knew he was one of them. I look forward to it. I’ll do my talking in the cage. I might do a little more talking in the cage than I’ve done in a while.

Both men are coming off losses in their last bouts, but Melendez has faced tougher competition in recent years. We can excuse defeats to Benson Henderson and Anthony Pettis as he has plenty of quality wins to make up for it.

On the other hand, Alvarez is 0-1 in his UFC career after dominating Bellator for years. He could not beat Donald Cerrone and could end up struggling against the man he has wanted to face for so long.

This should be an entertaining battle, but Melendez has what it takes to win a close one.

Prediction: Melendez wins by unanimous decision.

Cain Velasquez vs. Fabricio Werdum

It’s been almost two years since Velasquez last defended his title against Junior dos Santos. Since October 2013, injuries have kept the heavyweight out of the Octagon and out of the minds of many fans.

“The main thing was to recover 100 percent and not come back too early,” Velasquez said of his long recovery, per Damon Calhoun of the Orange County Register. “The way we train gets us ready for a fight. Injuries happen in this sport.”

In that time, Werdum has risen through the ranks and earned the interim heavyweight title with a victory over Mark Hunt at UFC 180.

Still, Patrick Wyman of Sherdog wants people to remember just how good Velasquez is when healthy:

At his best, the 32-year-old fighter showed he was one of the best heavyweights ever in the sport. He twice avenged his only career loss to Dos Santos and has the ability to have an extended title run, a rare feat in this division.

Werdum has a wide skill set that allows him to be a dangerous striker while also earning plenty of submissions. If he can extend this match to the later rounds, he might gain an advantage against a potentially out-of-shape opponent.

The problem is Velasquez is too strong and talented. He should end this match before his conditioning might become a problem.

Prediction: Velasquez wins by TKO.

Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter for the latest breaking news and analysis.

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UFC 188: Cain Velasquez Isn’t Your Dad’s Mexican Wrestler

The ’90s is remembered with a romanticism duly earned, a time when grunge was king before it gave way to Britpop and pro wrestling was larger-than-life camp before it gave way to the Attitude Era.
With World Wrestling Entertainment cutting loose with p…

The ’90s is remembered with a romanticism duly earned, a time when grunge was king before it gave way to Britpop and pro wrestling was larger-than-life camp before it gave way to the Attitude Era.

With World Wrestling Entertainment cutting loose with profanity, sex and booze and its competitor World Championship Wrestling making use of the New World Order to spice up its weekly programming, things were wild at the time.

It was all very ’90s.

And in the midst of all that attitude, there was a need for something flashy, exotic and exciting on broadcasts. Much of that flash came from Mexican wrestlers. Often clad in masks and offering up various high-flying spots, they brought the tradition of their country’s lucha libre style to North American audiences.

More often than not they were used as fodder for some star that WWE or WCW was pushing at the time, but they were great athletes nonetheless—perhaps not taken as seriously as they should have been given the era in which they performed.

Twenty years later, Mexican wrestling is alive and well. There are, however, no masks, acrobatics or other such histrionics. There is no script. There is no role to be filled as fuel for the stardom of another man.

Mexican wrestling has evolved. Mexican wrestling has an attitude.

Mexican wrestling now has Cain Velasquez, UFC heavyweight champion, a relentless talent who has sunk to the fringes of the sport due to a series of injuries that have shelved him for almost two years.

People have grown almost dismissive of his dominance in that time, forgetful of the fact that his reign of terror was essentially only interrupted by one right hand that would have felled a rhinoceros—a right hand he avenged. Twice.

Despite the inactive stint that comes to a close at UFC 188 against Fabricio Werdum, Velasquez is the best heavyweight on the planet—perhaps the best the sport has ever seen. His cardio is unmatched in the division, his functional strength is routinely glossed over, and his technical acumen is among the best in the game at any weight class.

While many fans and pundits have overlooked those facts, choosing to focus on his tendency to get hurt fighting or preparing to fight, the UFC has not. It has made Velasquez the face of its thrust into Mexico, taking advantage of his heritage and his position as king of the proverbial UFC monsters in hopes that the company may have found the next MMA hotbed.

It’s a logical gamble, given the propensity for Mexicans to root for their own and root particularly hard in combat sports. Having a hulking champion with “Brown Pride” emblazoned across his collarbone is pretty much what would have come out of a think tank were the UFC to employ one in creating the perfect star for that market.

But above all else, it’s his dominance that’s impressive. Yes, he’s missed time over the years. More title defenses would have been ideal along the way.

But when he’s in that cage? Man, when he’s in that cage.

He has the type of high-octane ferocity that gets people’s attention—the type that could carry a nation akin to what Georges St-Pierre did in Canada or Conor McGregor is doing in Ireland. The fight game is nationalistic when it’s at its best, and nothing brings out that pride like watching an untouchable countryman in combat.

UFC 188 will see the true champion return, and should he perform the way he’s proved he can, he’ll leave with his legacy furthered by a loyal fanbase running the length of Mexico. He will build that performance on forward pressure, tireless wrestling and vicious ground-and-pound once he secures the takedown.

It’s formulaic, but no one has had any type of consistent answer to it.

It’s no longer the ’90s, and Velasquez is not your dad’s Mexican wrestler. He’s the best in the world at what he does, and he’s looking to remind everyone of that fact Saturday night.

Follow me on Twitter @matthewjryder!

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UFC 188: Fight Card Start Time and Final Velasquez vs. Werdum Predictions

More than 19 months since he last appeared inside the Octagon, Cain Velasquez will return to competition against Fabricio Werdum at UFC 188 on Saturday night.
The last time we saw Velasquez, he retained his undisputed heavyweight championship with a la…

More than 19 months since he last appeared inside the Octagon, Cain Velasquez will return to competition against Fabricio Werdum at UFC 188 on Saturday night.

The last time we saw Velasquez, he retained his undisputed heavyweight championship with a late stoppage win over rival Junior dos Santos. With that victory, Velasquez took the lead in a trilogy with one of the top contenders in the division and closed a chapter in his career.

Unfortunately, injuries have prevented him from starting his next chapter. Also, because he was inactive for so long, the UFC awarded an interim title to Werdum after his win over Mark Hunt at UFC 180.

Rather than having him defend his belt, the UFC had Werdum wait on Velasquez’s return. So, Vai Cavalo has also been inactive for seven months.

As a highly anticipated heavyweight championship bout, Velasquez vs. Werdum will headline UFC 188. Here is some more information on the fight card and a closer look at the main event.

When: Saturday, June 13

Time: Fight Pass Prelims at 7 p.m. ET, FX Prelims at 8 p.m. ET, Main Card at 10 p.m. ET

Where: Arena Ciudad de Mexico in Mexico City, Mexico

Live Stream: UFC.TV

With only one loss in 14 career appearances, Velasquez might be the most well-rounded competitor in the heavyweight division. His wrestling has always been a strength, but the champion can also win with high-volume striking because he has such outstanding conditioning for a fighter in this weight class.

Once viewed as a one-dimensional grappler, Werdum has also become a threat in all areas under the guidance of Rafael Cordeiro. With a knockout win over Hunt in his latest outing, Werdum showed that he can be dangerous when standing with any opponent.

Because both fighters are so great in all areas, it’s tough to say with certainty where this bout with take place on Saturday. What does seem certain, however, is Velasquez’s ability to decide where it does go with his superior wrestling.

He has the striking and defensive wrestling to avoid Werdum’s world-glass submission game and win without going to the ground. If the action does remain on the feet, Velasquez also has the power to stop Werdum and the conditioning to win a fast-paced striking bout lasting five rounds.

That said, should Werdum catch Velasquez and hurt him, the American Kickboxing Academy product can lean on his wrestling to get out of a bad situation.

Going to the canvas with Werdum would be a death sentence for most fighters, but Velasquez hasn’t shown any defensive grappling weaknesses. While he hasn’t met an opponent like Werdum, Velasquez has never been submitted and has the ground-and-pound to keep Vai Cavalo worried about defending rather than looking for an opening to lock up a submission.

At the end of the night, there will be only one heavyweight champion. Despite another long break in competition, Velasquez will stand tall as the undisputed heavyweight king once again.

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Velasquez vs. Werdum: Odds, Comments and Predictions for UFC 188 Before Weigh-In

A UFC undisputed heavyweight champion will be crowned Saturday in Mexico City, Mexico. Reigning champion Cain Velasquez will finally take on interim champion Fabricio Werdum to earn the right to be referred to as the baddest man on the planet.
Per Odd…

Per Odds Shark, the early odds say Velasquez is going to squash the 37-year-old Brazilian. Velasquez is a 6-25 favorite to win ahead of Friday’s weigh-in. Werdum is no stranger to being counted out.

Most didn’t give him a shot to beat Fedor Emelianenko back in 2010. Werdum ultimately submitted the MMA legend to hand him his first loss in 10 years.

Emelianenko was on the downside of his career, though, when he lost to Werdum. Velasquez is seemingly still in his prime, despite injuries that have kept him out of the Octagon for nearly two years. The bout with Werdum was originally supposed to take place in November 2014, but a knee injury forced Velasquez out of the fight.

Mark Hunt took his place, and since this was the latest in a long line of injuries for Velasquez, the UFC decided to make the battle between Hunt and Werdum an interim title scrap. Werdum stopped the rugged Samoan with a flying knee and cemented his status as the best heavyweight not named Velasquez.

At first, the pre-fight hype seemed to be going over without much animosity, but Werdum made some comments about Velasquez’s lack of traditional Mexican heritage, and the bad blood was born. Per BJPenn.com, Werdum said Velasquez isn’t “Mexican, Mexican” because he was born in the United States.

Velasquez didn’t take kindly to the comments and addressed them in an interview with MMA Fighting:

What does all this mean for the fight? Probably nothing, but it should create a potentially more aggressive and agitated Velasquez. That may not be a good thing for the champion—and perhaps the dig was by design from Werdum.

Werdum wants to counter and use Velasquez’s aggression against him. While Velasquez is known for his ground-and-pound game, there is no heavyweight in the world who is better off his back than Werdum. His submission of Emelianenko came in the same situation.

The Brazilian’s striking has also vastly improved over the last five years. His boxing, kicks and knee strikes have led to TKO and unanimous-decision wins over the likes of Hunt and Travis Browne, respectively. Conditioning could also play a role in this bout.

Velasquez is known as Cardio Cain because of his legendary conditioning, but he is coming back from a serious layoff and fighting in the high altitudes of Mexico—a place he’s spent less time in than his opponent.

Fox Sports’ Elias Cepeda agrees:

The big question will be how Velasquez’s body and conditioning hold up. The champion is coming off of just the latest long layoff due to injury of many throughout his career.

He insists that he’s feeling fine, but no one will know for sure until he runs that engine in the Octagon on fight night. Velasquez has the division’s best conditioning but he’s also spent far less time near Mexico City adjusting to the thin air of the megapolis’ high altitude than Werdum has.

Velasquez originally thought he didn’t need to get to Mexico early at all before the fight. He was dead wrong.

Call me crazy, but I’m tabbing Werdum for the massive upset in this bout. Big men traditionally have harder times overcoming knee injuries, Werdum’s skill set is a match for Velasquez’s and the Brazilian is smart. This is the formula for a shocker.

Follow Brian Mazique on Twitter.

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