Biggest Winner: Fabricio Werdum
What a performance from "Vai Cavalo."
Cain Velasquez has long been lauded as the baddest dude on the planet, and Fabricio Werdum stood toe to toe with him to prove his own mettle.
The first round was certainly close, and Werdum was eating some heavy shots from Velasquez early that definitely scared his faithful Brazilian fans.
From then on out, it was all Werdum.
Not only did the Brazilian look outstanding on the feet as he battered Velasquez through the second round, the Brazilian once again showed off his legendary jiu-jitsu game by submitting the former champ via guillotine in the third.
It was an unbelievable performance from the new UFC champion that won't soon be forgotten.
Werdum's list of victims now include Cain Velasquez, Fedor Emelianenko, and Minotauro Nogueira. "Vai Cavalo" submitted them all.
If that doesn't earn him a spot near the top of the "greatest heavyweight of all time" list, I don't know what possibly could.
In earnest, "Vai Cavalo" could be deemed the GOAT with a victory over another venerable heavyweight in Junior Dos Santos, if the two Brazilians do in fact rematch later this year with heavyweight gold on the line.
Runners-up: Eddie Alvarez
Rocked in the first round? Check. Eye busted up? Check. First UFC victory? Check.
It was another night at the office for former Bellator lightweight champ Eddie Alvarez, who dug deep into his pocket of tricks in order to pull out the split decision victory over Gilbert Melendez in Mexico City.
Proving once again that he can not win a fight without being battered, Alvarez staved off retirement and "washed up" talk by overcoming a terrible first round in order to control the final two frames en route to victory.
And he did it all with one eye essentially swollen shut!
At 1-1 in UFC, Alvarez is sitting a lot prettier than he would have been at 0-2, and I suspect we will see him back in the cage at least one more time before 2015 wraps up.
Mexico City Elevation
No opponent was as tough at UFC 188 as the elevation was.
If you thought watching mixed martial arts (MMA) in Colorado was woeful, you haven't seen anything until you watch 20 or so fighters gas out in Mexico City elevation.
At 7,200 feet above sea level -- and oxygen levels thin -- nearly every fighter on the card struggled to put together an impressive pace without gassing.
Joe Rogan must have blamed the altitude for stamina woes 15 or 20 times over the course of the entire event, and fight fans watching were forced to endure exhausted fighters plodding forward with little to no energy to put together any exciting combinations.
One of the only fighters seemingly not affected by the elevation was Fabricio Werdum, as the new undisputed UFC champ spent the last several weeks in Mexico preparing and acclimating his body in order to fight to the best of his ability.
Hopefully fighters slated to throw down in Mexico in the future give their bodies ample time to acclimate, or we will be forced to watch another group of exhausted martial artists attempt to compete in the unsparing conditions.
Biggest Loser: Cain Velasquez
What a brutal night it was for the former UFC champ.
After a 20 month injury layoff, Velasquez had the opportunity to fight in front of his die-hard fans in Mexico for the first time, but fell massively short of his goal.
Instead of feeling "Vai Cavalo" out early on, Velasquez stormed forward looking to get in a slugfest with Werdum.
The first minute of their heavyweight title tilt was nothing but action, but Velasquez's usually steady gas tank seemingly had run out halfway through the second round.
Suddenly, Velasquez was hittable, and Werdum was hitting him with everything other than the kitchen sink. Although wobbly, the AKA product refused to tumble while withstanding an onslaught of knees and punches.
By the time the third round came about, Velasquez was utterly exhausted, leading him to launch in on a double leg against one of the greatest heavyweight jiu-jitsu practitioners in history.
Before Werdum's back even hit the mat from the takedown he knew the fight was all over, and Velasquez tapped shortly thereafter.
While it will be a bitter pill for Velasquez to swallow, I don't doubt we will see him back in a UFC title fight relatively soon.
Runners-up:
Gilbert Melendez
Coming off his UFC title loss to Anthony Pettis, Gilbert Melendez wanted to prove he is still a top five lightweight, and stay in the title picture in the process.
Unfortunately for "El Nino," the final 10 minutes of his three round affair with Eddie Alvarez didn't go his way, and ultimately earned him his second straight loss inside the Octagon.
After coming out sharp in the first round and landing a vicious elbow that stunned Alvarez, Melendez seemed stymied by the former Bellator champion's wrestling game in the second, and midway through the round he was exhausted.
Whether it was the elevation or Alvarez's pressure that broke Melendez, it was not the performance fans were expecting to see when this fight was finally announced a few months ago.
Melendez is still relatively young at 33 years old, so there is no question that he can come back from this slump. The former Strikeforce champ simply has to go back to the drawing board, and pick up one victory at a time.
Nate Marquardt
With his back against the wall and his MMA career potentially hanging in the balance, Nate Marquardt was forced to quit on his stool in Mexico City.
After getting battered in second round and nearly finished, "The Great" simply had nothing left in the tank to answer the bell for round three.
Thankfully, Marquardt's coach Trevor Wittman called a stop to the bout to ensure his fighter didn't take anymore unnecessary damage -- something we don't see far too often in UFC.
At 36 years old, and currently riding a 1-4 slump since his UFC return, it may be time for Marquardt to consider retirement.
If not, UFC brass may be handing the former No. 1 contender a pink slip tomorrow morning anyhow.
UFC 188 QUICK RESULTS:
Fabricio Werdum def. Cain Velasquez by submission (guillotine choke) at 2:13 of Round Three
Eddie Alvarez def. Gilbert Melendez by split decision (28-29, 29-28 x2)
Kelvin Gastelum def. Nate Marquardt by TKO (corner stoppage) at 5:00 of Round Two
Yair Rodriguez def. Charles Rosa by split decision (28-29, 29-28 x2)
Tecia Torres def. Angela Hill by unanimous decision (30-27 x2, 29-28)
Henry Cejudo def. Chico Camus by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27 x2)
Efrain Escudero def. Drew Dober by submission (guillotine choke) at 0:54 of Round One
Patrick Williams def. Alejandro Perez by technical submission (guillotine choke) at 0:23 of Round One
Johnny Case def. Francisco Trevino by unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
Cathal Pendred def. Augusto Montano by unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
Gabriel Benitez def. Clay Collard by unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
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<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/caEWaIhYs9Q" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" width="560"></iframe>
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What a performance from "Vai Cavalo."
Cain Velasquez has long been lauded as the baddest dude on the planet, and Fabricio Werdum stood toe to toe with him to prove his own mettle.
The first round was certainly close, and Werdum was eating some heavy shots from Velasquez early that definitely scared his faithful Brazilian fans.
From then on out, it was all Werdum.
Not only did the Brazilian look outstanding on the feet as he battered Velasquez through the second round, the Brazilian once again showed off his legendary jiu-jitsu game by submitting the former champ via guillotine in the third.
It was an unbelievable performance from the new UFC champion that won't soon be forgotten.
Werdum's list of victims now include Cain Velasquez, Fedor Emelianenko, and Minotauro Nogueira. "Vai Cavalo" submitted them all.
If that doesn't earn him a spot near the top of the "greatest heavyweight of all time" list, I don't know what possibly could.
In earnest, "Vai Cavalo" could be deemed the GOAT with a victory over another venerable heavyweight in Junior Dos Santos, if the two Brazilians do in fact rematch later this year with heavyweight gold on the line.
Runners-up: Eddie Alvarez
Rocked in the first round? Check. Eye busted up? Check. First UFC victory? Check.
It was another night at the office for former Bellator lightweight champ Eddie Alvarez, who dug deep into his pocket of tricks in order to pull out the split decision victory over Gilbert Melendez in Mexico City.
Proving once again that he can not win a fight without being battered, Alvarez staved off retirement and "washed up" talk by overcoming a terrible first round in order to control the final two frames en route to victory.
And he did it all with one eye essentially swollen shut!
At 1-1 in UFC, Alvarez is sitting a lot prettier than he would have been at 0-2, and I suspect we will see him back in the cage at least one more time before 2015 wraps up.
Mexico City Elevation
No opponent was as tough at UFC 188 as the elevation was.
If you thought watching mixed martial arts (MMA) in Colorado was woeful, you haven't seen anything until you watch 20 or so fighters gas out in Mexico City elevation.
At 7,200 feet above sea level -- and oxygen levels thin -- nearly every fighter on the card struggled to put together an impressive pace without gassing.
Joe Rogan must have blamed the altitude for stamina woes 15 or 20 times over the course of the entire event, and fight fans watching were forced to endure exhausted fighters plodding forward with little to no energy to put together any exciting combinations.
One of the only fighters seemingly not affected by the elevation was Fabricio Werdum, as the new undisputed UFC champ spent the last several weeks in Mexico preparing and acclimating his body in order to fight to the best of his ability.
Hopefully fighters slated to throw down in Mexico in the future give their bodies ample time to acclimate, or we will be forced to watch another group of exhausted martial artists attempt to compete in the unsparing conditions.
Biggest Loser: Cain Velasquez
What a brutal night it was for the former UFC champ.
After a 20 month injury layoff, Velasquez had the opportunity to fight in front of his die-hard fans in Mexico for the first time, but fell massively short of his goal.
Instead of feeling "Vai Cavalo" out early on, Velasquez stormed forward looking to get in a slugfest with Werdum.
The first minute of their heavyweight title tilt was nothing but action, but Velasquez's usually steady gas tank seemingly had run out halfway through the second round.
Suddenly, Velasquez was hittable, and Werdum was hitting him with everything other than the kitchen sink. Although wobbly, the AKA product refused to tumble while withstanding an onslaught of knees and punches.
By the time the third round came about, Velasquez was utterly exhausted, leading him to launch in on a double leg against one of the greatest heavyweight jiu-jitsu practitioners in history.
Before Werdum's back even hit the mat from the takedown he knew the fight was all over, and Velasquez tapped shortly thereafter.
While it will be a bitter pill for Velasquez to swallow, I don't doubt we will see him back in a UFC title fight relatively soon.
Runners-up:
Gilbert Melendez
Coming off his UFC title loss to Anthony Pettis, Gilbert Melendez wanted to prove he is still a top five lightweight, and stay in the title picture in the process.
Unfortunately for "El Nino," the final 10 minutes of his three round affair with Eddie Alvarez didn't go his way, and ultimately earned him his second straight loss inside the Octagon.
After coming out sharp in the first round and landing a vicious elbow that stunned Alvarez, Melendez seemed stymied by the former Bellator champion's wrestling game in the second, and midway through the round he was exhausted.
Whether it was the elevation or Alvarez's pressure that broke Melendez, it was not the performance fans were expecting to see when this fight was finally announced a few months ago.
Melendez is still relatively young at 33 years old, so there is no question that he can come back from this slump. The former Strikeforce champ simply has to go back to the drawing board, and pick up one victory at a time.
Nate Marquardt
With his back against the wall and his MMA career potentially hanging in the balance, Nate Marquardt was forced to quit on his stool in Mexico City.
After getting battered in second round and nearly finished, "The Great" simply had nothing left in the tank to answer the bell for round three.
Thankfully, Marquardt's coach Trevor Wittman called a stop to the bout to ensure his fighter didn't take anymore unnecessary damage -- something we don't see far too often in UFC.
At 36 years old, and currently riding a 1-4 slump since his UFC return, it may be time for Marquardt to consider retirement.
If not, UFC brass may be handing the former No. 1 contender a pink slip tomorrow morning anyhow.
UFC 188 QUICK RESULTS:
Fabricio Werdum def. Cain Velasquez by submission (guillotine choke) at 2:13 of Round Three
Eddie Alvarez def. Gilbert Melendez by split decision (28-29, 29-28 x2)
Kelvin Gastelum def. Nate Marquardt by TKO (corner stoppage) at 5:00 of Round Two
Yair Rodriguez def. Charles Rosa by split decision (28-29, 29-28 x2)
Tecia Torres def. Angela Hill by unanimous decision (30-27 x2, 29-28)
Henry Cejudo def. Chico Camus by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27 x2)
Efrain Escudero def. Drew Dober by submission (guillotine choke) at 0:54 of Round One
Patrick Williams def. Alejandro Perez by technical submission (guillotine choke) at 0:23 of Round One
Johnny Case def. Francisco Trevino by unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
Cathal Pendred def. Augusto Montano by unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
Gabriel Benitez def. Clay Collard by unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
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