Take note for any fighter that may receive a call to fight in Mexico City; it pays to get there early. At UFC 188, we saw Fabricio Werdum claim the undisputed heavyweight title after submitting a gassed and wobbled Cain Velasquez. Living and training in the city for the past month was a great decision by the champion as not only did he learn the language but understand the climate he was fighting in. Eddie Alvarez picked up a huge and must needed win against Gilbert Melendez in the co-main event. This grudge match turned into a grappling showcase after Alvarez's eye swole up and his performance was a perfect parallel for tonight's fight. In an evening that saw blood, sweat and even vomit, UFC 188 will be one of those special nights to remember.
The cardio of Velasquez (13-2) has never come into question as usually he has a gear next to no one. It seemed as if that worked against him and played right into the hand of Werdum (20-5) as he welcomed everything the former champ had to offer. Both fighters stood in the pocket, landing bomb after bomb and it was surprising to see Werdum find so much success. He cut and bloodied Cain and sent him wobbling many times with a great jab and a few knees in the clinch. Velasquez pushed forward as expected but took more damage than seen in any of his previous fights. After the end of the second, another knee from Fabricio stunned Cain which prompted his corner to tell him to go for a takedown. Not the smartest thing to do with a heavyweight that has the submission ability of Werdum. Once Cain shot for his take down, he was immediately seized by Fabricio and placed in an inescapable guillotine. This was an extraordinary fight and the ever elusive three title defense from the heavyweight division lives on. With this win, the heavyweight division looks much different now and exciting with the possibilities to come.
The co-main event was a grudge match between Alvarez (26-4) and Melendez (22-5). The first round was dominated by El Nino as he hit Alvarez with two crisp elbows that found his nose. Soon after, his left eye swelled up but that did not hold off the Blackzilian from turning this to a grappling war. Gilbert is an experienced grappler as well but it looked as if he wasn’t ready to take the fight to the ground with Alvarez. This was a closely contested match but the takedowns and ground control of Eddie is what seemed to push the split decision in his favor. Let’s see if this puts the rivalry of underground champions to bed.
A snap of the jab and a nasty knee was the combination that helped Kelvin Gastelum (11-1) continue to wear out Nate Marquardt (33-15). The fight was stopped in the second round as Nate was unable to continue. Even at the disciplinary weight of 185, Kelvin looked light on his feet and laid out a beautiful striking attack against Marquardt. A few too many shots to the head put down the former Strikeforce champion as the fight could have easily been stopped early. For now, the goal is for Gastelum to return to 170 but he had a fine showing tonight of what he is capable of in the heavier division.
A great contest was on hand between Yair Rodriguez (5-1) and Charles Rosa (10-2). From the start of the fight, Rodriguez came with an all out assault of leg kicks. Yair landed one of the best leg kicks to date with the switch kick off the inner leg of Charles. Rosa pressed on the whole time and landed takedowns effectively. Rodriguez was slick off his back and not until the third was Rosa able to hold any advantage. The patent Jackson camp knee kick was on display as Rodriguez displayed great technique. Charles controlled the third and landed a few overhand rights that set up his takedowns and work from side control to put Yair in trouble. It was a hell of a fight that saw Yair Rodriguez win by split decision.
The Mexican crowd was not too pleased by the opening act on the main card of UFC 188, however, as Tecia Torres (6-0) grinded out a win against Angela Hill (2-1) and it was clear the altitude played a large factor. Many expected this to be nice little stand up affair between the two gifted strikers but Torres used her grappling advantage to secure the win. By the time the third round started, Hill’s mouth was wide open and she searched for big gasps of air. Angela controlled the center of the cage but a good mixing of flurry combos complemented by a few take downs is what ended the fight for Tecia. Don’t expect the same thing to happen in the upcoming fight between Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Jessica Penne as altitude shouldn't diminish one another's skills.
The prelims saw victories by Henry Cejudo, Efrain Escudero, Patrick Williams, Johnny Case, Cathal Pendred and Gabriel Benitez. Up Next for the UFC is UFC Fight Night Berlin which features a title fight in the strawweight division between Jedrzejczyk and Penne.
The full results of UFC 188 are listed below:
Main Card
Fabricio Werdum def. Cain Velasquez via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 3, 2:13
Eddie Alvarez def. Gilbert Melendez via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Kelvin Gastelum def. Nate Marquardt via TKO (corner stoppage) – Round 2, 5:00
Yair Rodriguez def. Charles Rosa via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Tecia Torres def. Angela Hill via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Prelims
Henry Cejudo def. Chico Camus via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Efrain Escudero def. Drew Dober via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 0:54
Patrick Williams def. Alejandro Perez via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 0:23
Johnny Case def. Francisco Trevino via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Cathal Pendred def. Augusto Montano via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Gabriel Benitez def. Clay Collard via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)