On Saturday night, the Arena Ciudad de Mexico in Mexico City played host to UFC 188. The event was marked by the coming together of champions. Eddie Alvarez and Gilbert Melendez combined the Bellator and Strikeforce titles of their respective pasts, with Alvarez overcoming in-cage adversity to get the decision.
The interim and heavyweight champions — Fabricio Werdum and Cain Velasquez — combined their belts in an enthralling battle that saw Werdum do things to Velasquez that no man has been able to in the octagon previously. Werdum submitted Velasquez with a third round guillotine choke to push himself into the “greatest heavyweight of all time” debate.
LWOS Books the Fights: UFC 188
With so many stand out performances, here’s what we hope is in store for the winners and losers of UFC 188.
Fabricio Werdum: Prior to Cain Velasquez’ fight with Fabricio Werdum on Saturday, only three men had fought over the legitimate world title in over four and a half years: Cain Velasquez; Junior dos Santos; Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva. Now with Werdum crowned as the undisputed champion, there are new and exciting possibilities aplenty. Velasquez’ supporters will hope for a rematch, but it is Andrei Arlovski who presents the most exciting first defense for the champion. Arlovski holds a win over the champion back in 2007, and has returned to the UFC with a 3-0 run that has seen him crush former title challenger “Bigfoot” Silva, and highly touted contender Travis Browne in exciting fashion.
Cain Velasquez: Velasquez’ performance following a long layoff against a man who was able to slow him considerably by continuously punching and kneeing him in the face, suggested that an immediate rematch would be an unwise move at this point. The layoff, the altitude, the incredible ability of his opponent, it all proved too much to overcome. That said, Velasquez’ stature in the sport dictates that he can only fight the elite in the division. A fight with Stipe Miocic would prove the perfect measuring stick for both men. Contrary to popular belief, the UFC do sometimes match fighters coming off a win with those coming off a loss. Both need another big win to move into title contention and whoever came out on top would be impossible to overlook.
Eddie Alvarez: The former Bellator champion has had an incredible baptism of fire since entering the UFC. Donald Cerrone and Gilbert Melendez are two of the greatest 155 pound fighters on the planet. With his first octagon win in the bag, Alvarez can now set his sights on making a run towards a title shot. Dustin Poirier has looked sensational since returning to lightweight and having won his fight with Yancy Medeiros one week ago, is not only on a similar timeline to Alvarez but will also be looking for bigger fights. Even more importantly, Alvarez vs Poirier would simply be a great fight.
Gilbert Melendez: There was a time some believed Gilbert Melendez was the best lightweight in the world. His results since joining the UFC as part of the Zuffa acquisition of Strikeforce, have proven — at least at this point in his career — that he is not. While the level of competition that has handed Melendez three defeats in four fights — Benson Henderson, Anthony Pettis and Eddie Alvarez — is truly world class, he will be desperate to get back in the win column. Myles Jury would represent a slight step down in competition and a chance for Melendez to prove whether he is still a top five fighter. Should the injury that forced Jury out of his proposed bout with Edson Barboza keep him out too long to make that fight happen, Barboza himself would provide similar opposition whatever the results of his fight with Paul Felder.
Kelvin Gastelum: While the former Ultimate Fighter winner wrecked Nate Marquardt over two rounds in Mexico City, it remains unlikely that he can become a force at the very top of the middleweight division. Following post-fight assurances from Gastelum that he can do what it takes to make the 170 pound welterweight limit, Dong Hyun Kim would make for the perfect test. Kim is coming off a submission win over Josh Burkman in May.
Nate Marquardt: The sight of Marquardt slouched on his stool after the second round of his fight with Gastelum was tough to watch. So was the beating that Gastelum put on Marquardt to put him in that position in the first place. At 36-years-old, with five losses in his last six fights, and no route back to any sort of contendership at any weight class it might be time for “the Great” to call it a day. Marquardt has fifty pro fights to his name and is unlikely to go out with a win without a significant drop in competition. The coupling that makes most sense for him right now is with retirement.
Yair Rodriguez: Following an exceptional performance against Charles Rosa, Rodriguez can start to look for a spot in the featherweight division’s top 15. Next weekend Dennis Siver faces Tatsuya Kawajiri in the co-main event in Berlin. The winner would provide Rodriguez with an experienced opponent to fight for a spot in the featherweight rankings.
Charles Rosa: Despite losing to Rodriguez in Mexico City, Rosa did plenty to suggest he deserves his place in the 145 pound division. Clay Collard competed on the Fight Pass prelims and was defeated by Gabriel Benitez. Like Rosa, Collard has gone 1-2 in the UFC and a fight between the two would serve to indicate which man has the greater potential in the division.
Tecia Torres: Torres did enough to beat Angela Hill, but the greater question was whether she did enough to warrant a shot at the winner of Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Jessica Penne next weekend. Frustratingly, Torres seems to be making little progress and has shown no real signs of improvement since moving from the Invicta cage to the UFC’s octagon. If anything a drop in her level of competition has led to a drop in her level of performance. Leave it up to Claudia Gadelha and Jessica Aguilar to decide in August who is the real number two in the division then. Instead, Torres should be matched up with Maryna Moroz. A fight between two top ten ranked fighters coming off a win, who have more to prove before moving into genuine title contention.
Angela Hill: If Torres’ performance was underwhelming, Hill’s was baffling. Hill looked nothing like the prospect we had seen against Emily Kagan at the TUF 20 Finale, and looked tentative throughout. The easiest way to find out whether that was the altitude in Mexico City is to match her up against fellow TUF alumni Felice Herrig. Herrig herself fell apart when overwhelmed by Paige VanZant earlier this year, and a bout between the two would show whether Hill retains as yet unrealized potential, or has simply been put in too early at too high a level of competition to ever develop into a threat.
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