UFC 188: Velasquez vs Werdum

[jimufctna24]

Werdum won clean. However, given the altitude and circumstances, I think he got his tactics wrong.

 

He came out like a freight train, and in typical Cain fashion, fought at a relentless pace. Round 2 was the Heavyweight version of Lawler vs Hendricks. It's no surprise that Cain was running on fumes as earlier as the 2nd round. Given how he was fighting, it gave Werdum ample opportunity to take advantage. Against such an effective fighter like Werdum, he was never going to get away with it. 

 

Werdum paced himself better, and was probably in better condition, or at least better prepared. 

[METAL ON METAL]

From the pre-UFC 129 Super 7 panel. In what was always thought of as the most dominant line-up of champions in UFC:

 

 

Only Aldo remains....until next month?

[wandshogun09]

Funnily enough, I'm currently knocking up the 189 thread and I was just thinking about that Super 7 thing. I still think Aldo will hold onto the title but who the fuck knows anymore. I'd give McGregor a better shot at Aldo than I was ever giving Dos Anjos over Pettis or Werdum over Cain. It's been a bit of a crazy year really.

 

The current lineup of champions is pretty badass actually.

 

Werdum, Cormier, Weidman, Lawler, Dos Anjos, Aldo, Dillashaw, Rousey, Johnson, Jedrzejczyk.

 

With the exception of Dillashaw and Johnson, I love that set of champs. Werdum and Cormier are two of the most likeable champs the UFC has ever had. I'm becoming a big fan of Weidman. Lawler and Dos Anjos being champs was totally unexpected but I'm chuffed both got there in the end. Rousey's awesome and Jedrzejczyk has both the likability and the badass factors going on.

 

It's not as star studded as the Class Of 2011 because it lacks the names like Silva, GSP and Jones. But I'm really pleased with who most of the current champions are.

[Supremo]

I don't think they'll do animmediate rematch with Werdum and Cain, but for my own fascination I hope they do.

 

I'd love for them to do a rematch in Vegas as soon as possible, just to put to rest any doubts regarding whether the, "real," Cain would have performed any better. I mean, obviously the altitude had an affect (and was totally his own fault), but I suspect we might also have simply reached the tipping point with Velasquez, where his ridiculous training may have caught up with him.

 

In almost every video or photo I saw of him over the past few weeks he's looked much older and worn down than when he was punching in the face of JDS a few years ago. And knowing how stupidly hard he trains, it wouldn't surprise me at all if a lot of what happened in this fight was down to his body finally cracking, and not just the dumb decision of not getting properly acclimated.

 

Still, what awful advice from the AKA corner men between rounds two and three! Somebody, I don't know who, tells an exhausted Cain to take him down, and then a few minutes later he's submitted on the ground. How embarrassing. I don't know if that was an even worse bit of coaching than not setting up camp in Mexico two months earlier. It's not like Cain hasn't got the money.

 

Worst thing about that main event result is that it opens up the whole division and it could now be less likely that we get Dos Santos vs. Overeem. That's the Heavyweight fight I want to see the most. It's the greatest babyface vs. heel dynamic in the history of the sport. Overeem is a dickhead, whereas I wish Junior was my dad.

[jimufctna24]

Even though Heavyweights have a long shelf-life, it is possible that years of hard training have caught up to Cain.

 

Anyone remember Paul Buentello? When he was training at AKA and still semi-relevant, Cain was learning his trade. The first time I heard Cain's name mentioned was by Buentello in an interview with UKFF favourite Kevin Iole. Buentello described how Cain would light him up in sparring. That must be some 8 or 9 years ago. Which speaks volumes of how long Cain has been going at it hard.

 

Werdum has exceeded everyone's expectations. If anyone needs an example of how far he has come, check his fights in Pride. The guy's striking was woefully bad at times. He was never much of an athlete either, and at times, seemed quite awkward with his movement. Not how you would picture a top-level fighter to operate.

 

I am happy for him though. I don't dislike Cain, but I admit to cheering Werdum on last night. 

[Egg Shen]

The biggest thing for me coming out of this show is this...

 

The UFC simply has to stop holding shows at high altitude. Performances were bad across the show and fighters were noticeably suffering. It's all well and good to say 'well fighters should be prepared', but for me the conditions factor in too much. I feel the same way after every high altitude show.

[Guy Bifkin]

I personally hope they don't book an immediate rematch. It was hardly a close fight and Cain has spent most of his title reign injured. Let him go away, prove his fitness and beat a top contender like Stipe Miocic before getting another shot. 

[David]

It's all well and good to say 'well fighters should be prepared', but for me the conditions factor in too much.

 

That's a good point. Considering the money that some of them are being paid it isn't always financially viable to fuck off to Mexico to live and train for a month or two before a fight. A lot of these guys are training at home and then flying out as close to the event as possible to save money.

[lambyUK]

I'm with Ebb on this one. Everyone looked pretty bad over the weekend. Whilst Werdum's performance was great in the context of things, he still looked sluggish in comparison to say his performance against Travis Browne. Everyone seems to fight in slow motion.

 

Cain to me had the same look on his face that he had in that first JDS fight. Now before someone says Cain always looks the same, I beg to differ. In the defeat against JDS, and this latest defeat, he had this look in his eyes of a man low in confidence.

 

Furthermore, there was all this talk in the build up to the fight in interviews how lean Cain looked in comparison to his previous body shape. However, once he hit the scales, he looked the same flabby Cain to me. For someone who's notorious for his workouts, I simply can't see how you look and carry a frame like that.

[Egg Shen]

yeh, im quite surprised at the positive reaction to the show, i thought it was pretty poor all around. Outside of the excellent Rosa/Rodriguez fight i was pretty underwhelmed. It just seemed like everyone struggled.

 

As for the main event, Cain simply set a pace he couldn't maintain. I'd wager Cain was in similar shape condition wise to what he normally is, i don't think he'd have come out so fast if he wasn't and the tank just drained dry within a round, it was painful to watch. Werdum won that fight but by being patient. Werdum is one of the calmest fighters in the sport, when fighting dangerous guys on the feet he seems so comfortable and shows little respect for power,  that helped him Saturday because he weathered a storm and just took over when Cain was dead on his feet. Fantastic showing given the circumstances.

 

I don't mean to bang on about the altitude but there was just alarming shit going on all over the place, Cain died, Angela Hill was making weird gasping sounds between rounds, Yair Rodriguez threw up on himself after the fight, Nate Marquadt quit on his stool, even Gilbert Melendez was gasping for air in a fight that was fought at a fairly slow place for him. It was just a weird night.

[Bus Surfer]

Angela Hill looked gassed during the fighter intros. Mouth open and guzzeling up the air she was.

[Egg Shen]

Dana said post fight that 6 more fighters threw back stage after their fights.

 

Ariel Helwani always stated that Javier Mendez had to convince Cain to goto Mexico 2 weeks before the fight, he wanted Cain there a month early but Cain wouldn't do it, they finally agreed on two weeks...Cain's plan was to turn up on the Monday before the fight.

[Ghostface1982]

Dana said post fight that 6 more fighters threw back stage after their fights.

 

Ariel Helwani always stated that Javier Mendez had to convince Cain to goto Mexico 2 weeks before the fight, he wanted Cain there a month early but Cain wouldn't do it, they finally agreed on two weeks...Cain's plan was to turn up on the Monday before the fight.

 

He can blame no one but himself then!

 

Well and whoever told him to go for the takedown in his exhausted state. You don't get away with a sloppy double leg like that on a grappler like Werdum. He was begging to be guillotined.

[Egg Shen]

yep, it was a shocking mistake. Someone said earlier in the thread through of how embarrasing it was for the corner that they told Cain to take Werdum down, then when he did he got choked. I disagree, if Cain continued to try standing in round 3 he was going to get knocked out, guaranteed. The takedown was the way to go, it was just he was so fucked that he shot in lazily and basically begged to be guillotined. It was down to desperation and tiredness. 

[Herne's Son]

The main event was one of the FOTY contenders for me, just an all out war between two big hitters with the added factor of Werdum's BJJ and Cain's wrestling. It looked like they'd been through a 5 round war at the end of round 2. Good outcome as well as happy for Werdum and it opens up the title picture at heavy weight as well.