Fabricio Werdum Destroys Cain Velasquez At UFC 188 To Become Undisputed Heavyweight Champion (Video)

Video After The Jump

MEXICO CITY (USA Today/MMA Junkie) – In a back-and-forth fight that threatened to end at any moment, UFC interim heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum spoiled Cain Velasquez’s homecoming and unified the title.

Werdum (20-5-1 MMA, 8-2 UFC) went toe-to-toe with Velasquez (13-2 MMA, 11-2 UFC) over three rounds and hurt him enough to draw an exhausted takedown attempt, which he promptly capitalized on with a guillotine choke that forced a tap at the 2:13 mark of the frame.

“I had a good strategy,” Werdum said afterward. “I had a big dream, and I got it today.”

The heavyweight title unification bout was the main event of today’s UFC 188 event at Mexico City Arena in Mexico City. It aired on pay-per-view following prelims on FX and UFC Fight Pass.

Werdum, No. 3 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA heavyweight rankings, took the Mexican-American Velasquez’s best shots and countered with his own, frequently staggering with champ with his right hand in a fight where elevation was a third opponent throughout the card.

“I was here for 34 days (before the fight card),” said Werdum, who acted as his own translator after giving answers in Spanish.

At 7,382 feet above sea level, both men showed signs of fatigue as the frantic pace of the fight extended into the second and third rounds. Velasquez, who hadn’t fought since winning a October 2013 trilogy bout with now-former champ Junior dos Santos, appeared to be severely affected by the altitude.

“For two weeks, I was out here training,” Velasquez, No. 5 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA pound-for-pound rankings and No. 1 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA heavyweight rankings, said afterward. “I guess it wasn’t enough.”

Still, Velasquez kept his characteristically intense pace, hoping to take Werdum’s legs from him with persistent kicks. Werdum, meanwhile, worked a jab and worked hard to answer every attack.

When Velasquez knocked Werdum foe down early, he declined an extended engagement on the ground, fearing his Brazilian opponent’s dangerous submission game. Instead, Velasquez worked steady one-two combinations and overhand rights, pressuring his opponent to the fence. Every time, Werdum fought off the cage and caught the champ with his own combinations.

A knee at the end of the second round sent Velasquez wobbling back to his corner. A cut over his left eye bled generously.

Advised by his corner to take the fight to the ground, Velasquez put Werdum on the mat in the third. But again shying away from grappling with his opponent, a former jiu-jitsu world champion who once famously submitted PRIDE champ Fedor Emelianenko, he gave enough space for a standup.

Werdum then shrugged off a high kick and turned up the pressure on Velasquez, backing him to the cage with a flurry of punches. When Velasquez shot for a takedown, it came more from desperation than strategic thinking.

Velasquez immediately exposed his neck, allowing Werdum to execute a textbook guillotine that left no other option but submission.

“I train a lot, this movement,” Werdum said. “I trained a long time, and I know he was going to go for a takedown on my legs. I just waited for the right moment.”

Released seven years ago by the UFC on the heels of a knockout loss to dos Santos, Werdum completed a journey he began in 2012 after a lackluster loss to Alistair Overeem in a heavyweight tournament in the now-defunct Strikeforce. Frequently an underdog, he bucked expectations with a four-fight win streak that earned him a shot at the UFC heavyweight title.

After a stint as opposing coaches on “The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America,” Werdum and Velasquez were scheduled to meet this past November at UFC 180 in Mexico City. But Velasquez suffered a bad knee injury, and the UFC installed former K-1 champ Mark Hunt in an interim title bout. Again delivering a shocker, Werdum knocked out the knockout artist with a flying knee.

Despite his five-fight streak, Werdum was a 4-1 underdog coming into the UFC 188. Velasquez, meanwhile, received a hero’s welcome in his first fight on Mexican soil.

“I’m sorry to everyone here,” said Velasquez. “My dream was to fight here and win in front of everyone. I didn’t do it tonight, and I’m sorry. I can’t ask for more motivation for me to keep on getting better, come back, and win that belt back again.”

Before UFC 180 and UFC 188, Werdum did his best to charm the Mexican fans by speaking Spanish at every turn. When he walked to the arena, however, he received a significant number of boos.

While he might not have completely won over the crowd tonight, Werdum’s heart and poise made a lot of headway. And it’s doubtful he’ll be the underdog for a while.