On Saturday, The UFC made their 2nd foray into Mexican territory with a sold out UFC 188 at the Arena Ciudad de Mexico, in Mexico City, Mexico. An engaging crowd provided an appropriate soundtrack to a solid night of fights that saw an undisputed heavyweight champion crowned, a feud put to rest and a slew of up and coming Mexican talent on display.
Fabricio Werdum def. Cain Velasquez via submission – guillotine choke (Round 3, 2:13)
It was a fight over a year in the making and it did not disappoint. Fabricio Werdum shocked the world catching a battered Cain Velasquez in a Fedor-esque guillotine choke in round three of their heavyweight championship. Velasquez started the fight with his typical pressure-style, but was met by a steadfast Werdum who stood in the pocket and traded punches with Velasquez, leaving the champion with a cut after the first round.
Velasquez came out aggressively for the first minute of the 2nd, using combinations and leg kicks. Werdum refused to back away, and stood in front of Velasquez catching him several times leaving the champ rocked. Werdum continued to fire at will on Velasquez for the remainder of round 2 wobbling an exhausted and bloodied Velasquez several times before the end of the round.
Going into round three you could almost sense we were going to have a new champion. Cain’s corner in between rounds was adamant that he take Werdum down, which he did midway through the round only to find himself locked in the last place on earth he wanted to be – Werdum’s Guillotine. Whether it was due to the altitude or the two year layoff, “Cardio Cain” was missing in action in the fight. Velasquez was unable to impose the continuous pressure that made him such a feared champion and looked completely out of the fight after the 2nd round. There has to be a taste of sour milk for the UFC who waited two years for Velasquez to get healthy and help the organization break into the Mexican market, only to have him lose in Mexico.
Eddie Alvarez def. Gilbert Melendez via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Fans had been clamoring for this fight for years and although it may not have lived up to the hype or turned into the Sanchez/Melendez brawl we were all hoping for, the fight still had its moments. Both men came out hesitant in the first round with the lone piece of action coming when Melendez caught Alvarez coming in with a short right elbow. At first it seemed nothing more than a hard shot, but upon blowing his nose at the end of the round, Alvarez’s left eye immediately swelled shut indicating a broken nose.
Again both guys were hesitant to exchange in round two, but it was Alvarez who would go on the offensive, utilizing leg kicks and takedowns to slow an already tiring Melendez, while mixing in spinning elbows, which seemed to daze Melendez. Alvarez would continue to rely on his wrestling through round three landing three takedowns and stalling any offensive output from Melendez. The fight could have gone either way, but Alvarez showed a ton of heart finishing the fight with both his eyes swollen shut and it was in no way a robbery when two of the three judges gave him his first win in the UFC.
Kelvin Gastelum def. Nate Marquardt via TKO – Stoppage (Round 2, 5:00)
After struggling to make the 170 pound limit for welterweight, Kelvin Gastelum made his debut at middleweight and immediately made a case for himself in the weight class, handily dispatching former Strikeforce champion Nate Marquardt.
Marquardt struggled from the get-go to evade both the combinations and in and out footwork of Gastelum, and was unsuccessful in landing anything significant before getting dropped against the cage from a knee in the clinch mid second round. Gastelum followed up with some vicious punches to the point that the fight should have been stopped and became hard to watch. Luckily Marquardt’s corner had his best interests at heart and threw in the towel at the end of round two. When asked post-fight about his future Gastelum said he is still gunning for a return to welterweight, where he feels he can be more of a threat.
Yair Rodriguez def. Charles Rosa via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
In stark contrast to the first main-card fight, Yair Rodriguez and Charles Rosa laid it all on the line. Rodriguez came out throwing a plethora of flying kicks — including a flying switch kick to the head — before dropping Rosa with a punch. Rodriguez engaged on the ground, locking in a deep triangle choke that Rosa narrowly escaped from.
The second round saw Rodriguez continue to display slick offense, utilizing his kicks to keep Rosa on the outside and wear him out against the fence. Rosa went for it in round three scoring a takedown, but it wasn’t enough to get past the crafty stand up and ground game of Rodriguez. Joe Rogan said he felt like he had witnessed something special in the post-fight interview with Rodriguez and he may have been right as his performance in an already stacked featherweight division, should get people talking.
Tecia Torres def. Angela Hill via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Kicking off the pay-per-view, many expected this fight to be a classic stand up battle between a four-time kickboxing champion and a muay thai specialist. Instead it turned into a stalemate grappling match that would have been a better fit for a Metamoris competition. Hill came out in round one pressuring Torres, but was taken down two minutes into the round and although she was able to nullify Torres from the top did little from her back.
This would pretty much be the story for the rest of the fight, as Hill provided little offensive output both standing and on the ground. Though her performance was less than impressive, Torres has made a case for herself as a legitimate contender in the newly formed strawweight division, and should get the tougher fight she asked for prior to Hill.
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 – Fastest submission in UFC/WEC Bantamweight History
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)
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