The UFC’s second card in Mexico City brought a very different feel from it’s debut, but in the end the same man had his hand raised and a belt wrapped around his waist. Fabricio Werdum went into the title unification bout against Cain Velasquez as a nearly 4-to-1 underdog, but quickly proved that he belonged in there with the returning champion. Velasquez started quickly as he typically does, but it became apparent that Werdum was going to punish him every time he tried to close the distance. From the clinch Velasquez was able to land some shots, but Werdum’s historically sturdy chin held up nicely, and he was able to grab a Thai plum to thwart further offense. On the occasions that Velasquez did get takedowns, he seemed to want nothing to do with Werdum’s ground game and quickly stood back up. The problem for Velasquez was that it became apparent in the second round that Werdum was the more effective striker, and the champion’s typically infallible cardio was simply not present. Whether it was the 20-month layoff for Velasquez, his mere two weeks of preparation in Mexico City — where Werdum spent multiple months — or something else, the AKA product was slowing down and getting clipped with more and more strikes. Between the second and third round, Velasquez’ corner urged him to go for takedowns as the striking was clearly not working out. However, after two minutes of Werdum getting the better of him standing once again, Velasquez shot a takedown from way out, and the BJJ and ADCC world champion snatched an arm-in guillotine which forced the tap just seconds later. It was one of the most consummate performances seen in the heavyweight division in years, and after a 12-year career Werdum now finds himself at the top of the heavyweight division.
As Cain Velasquez had proven multiple times that he was not a big pay-per-view draw, this may be the most interesting outcome for the heavyweight division. Werdum, while not a draw himself, at least opens up Junior dos Santos as a title challenger moving forward. Stipe Miocic and Andrei Arlovski are also viable contenders. The prospect of an Arlovski rematch for a UFC title was so improbable back in 2011 that it almost seems a waste to not make that match, but the fact so many interesting options exist at this point is an interesting twist for the division. The co-main event didn’t turn out to be the all-out brawl that many expected, but it still showed the tremendous heart of Eddie Alvarez. The former Bellator champion overcame a broken nose and an incredibly swollen eye to outwork Gilbert Melendez in the final two rounds to pick up a decision. Melendez had a striking advantage early due to straight punches and sharp counters, but he uncharacteristically tired and allowed Alvarez to take him down and outwork him over the final 10 minutes. This likely signals the end of Melendez as a lightweight title contender, and while Alvarez will move up in the division, his performance early in this fight doesn’t bode well for his chances of wearing the belt.
Kelvin Gastelum was simply too much for Nate Marquardt, as his pace overwhelmed the veteran and made it very apparent that Marquardt is no longer capable of competing at the top level, regardless of weight class. While Gastelum clearly doesn’t belong at middleweight long-term, he showed off his constantly improving striking skills and forced the fight out of Marquardt. I really think the UFC should allow Gastelum to move back to 170, and I’d like to see him face someone on the fringe of the top 10 like Dong Hyun Kim. One of the more surprising performances on this card came from TUF Latin America winner Yair Rodriguez. He showed off some very flashy striking and aggressive grappling en route to winning a decision over Charles Rosa. While many are high on Rodriguez coming off of this fight, I would caution not to rush the young fighter too quickly. While his striking and submission games are impressive, his wrestling is still a definite work in progress, as shown by the third round where he was controlled. If he can shore up that weakness he has a bright future, and could be a big building block for the UFC in Mexico. I could see matches with another pair of strikers in Zubaira Tukhugov or Daniel Hooker being exciting. In the first bout on the main card, Tecia Torres won a decision over Angela Hill by controlling the majority of the fight with her grappling. Torres scored takedowns in rounds one and two, and pushed Hill against the cage for much of round three, but that was about the extent of the action in the fight. When Hill was able to stuff Torres’ takedowns, the former Invicta contender wasn’t showing her signature activity on the feet. In the division with the least stability in the UFC right now, Torres may be near a title shot, but given her history against solid wrestlers on TUF and the struggles she displayed at times taking down Hill, she is nowhere near ready for a title shot. The next UFC event will feature UFC strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk defending her title against Jessica Penne in Berlin, Germany. Only the odds for the main event have been released thus far, so stay tuned to MMAOddsBreaker.com for full odds and analysis in the coming week.