UFC 188: Velasquez Vs. Werdum Preview: Heavyweight Title Unification Fight, Major Lightweight Fight
UFC's debut in Mexico last fall was set to be a huge coming out party for UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez in the country. Coming off of an Ultimate Fighter coaching gig against Fabricio Werdum, Velasquez ended up pulling from the fight due to injury. In all, it would be 16 months before Velasquez would return.
Tonight's UFC 188 sees the champion return against another familiar face to UFC fans in Mexico, the aforementioned Fabricio Werdum. Despite being Brazilian, Werdum is the Spanish-speaking color commentator for UFC broadcasts, and was also featured on The Ultimate Fighter. In addition to that, Werdum won the Interim Heavyweight Championship in Mexico at UFC 180 by defeating Mark Hunt when Velasquez was injured. Despite the good will Werdum has forged in the country, none of that will matter at UFC 188.
Cain Velasquez is a destroyer, plain and simple. That's something the veteran Fabricio Werdum has had to prepare for. In the past, Velasquez's only weak spot was a KO loss to Junior dos Santos, while he allegedly had his knee hanging on by a thread. While Werdum has significantly improved his striking, he has shown a distinct weakness on his feet.
It doesn't end there, though. Werdum hasn't faced a wrestler anywhere near Cain's quality since Tom Erikson over a decade ago. While Werdum is good off of his back, Cain Velasquez is more than capable of completely stifling that attack. While Werdum is more than worthy of his spot, it's hard to really fathom an area in which he could win this fight. That being said, it's a heavyweight fight, and one big shot could change the entire landscape of the division.
The night's co-main event is much more compelling. Eddie Alvarez and Gilbert Melendez were long considered two of the three best lightweights in the world. While the rankings have seen a major shakeup with the re-emergence of Donald Cerrone, as well as Rafael dos Anjos reaching his potential, the two are still both huge names in the division. Better yet, both are fully equipped to defeat anyone else in the top 15 on any given night.
Much of this fight depends on the Gilbert Melendez we see. There's a careful, calculated, methodical Gilbert Melendez that controlled Shinya Aoki for five rounds, and there's a reckless, wild, but dangerous Gilbert Melendez who got in slugfests with Diego Sanchez and Josh Thomson. Eddie Alvarez's best chance to win the fight is if the latter of the two show up.
The show will also feature title hopefuls Tecia Torres and Henry Cejudo, as they try to prove their worth against top-15 ranked opponents. A win for either fighter could put them well within reach of potentially earning a championship opportunity.
Wrestling Inc will have full, live coverage of UFC 188 Saturday night, starting with quick results of the prelims at 6:30 eastern.