With UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez forced to withdraw from his upcoming bout at UFC 180, a shakeup to the division is now on the horizon. The champ’s original opponent, No. 1 contender Fabricio Werdum, will now take on the No. 4-ranked fighter in the weight class, Mark Hunt.
The injury is a devastating one to Velasquez, more so mentally than physically. A release from the UFC quoted the champ as saying, “I’m so unbelievably disappointed that this happened. To say I was looking forward to fighting in Mexico for the first time is an understatement. I wanted to fight on that card so bad.”
According to Velasquez’s trainer, Javier Mendez, Velasquez had been dealing with a torn meniscus for a while before suffering a sprained MCL while doing sparring drills late last week.
Thankfully he did not suffer an ACL injury similar to the ones suffered by Georges St-Pierre, Dominick Cruz and Carlos Condit, which would have sidelined him 12-18 months. Instead, it is expected Cain could return as soon as March.
The current layoff will make it more than a calendar year since Velasquez last competed in the Octagon, which was a successful title defence over former champ Junior dos Santos at UFC 166 in October 2013.
With that, the UFC has decided to make the bout between Werdum and Hunt an interim title fight. This could have major implications for the division (see Bantamweight Renan Barao’s reign for some substance) should Velasquez’s reoccurring knee injuries haunt him like champions and contenders from other divisions.
No matter which way you look at it, one man is leaving Mexico City with gold around his waist. And a closer look at the numbers could give us a glimpse of who that may be.
On paper, the slight youth advantage goes to Werdum, who also has a six-inch height advantage and a three-inch reach advantage. He is also the more accurate striker, the better defender, attempts more take downs per fight and has attempted more submissions per bout.
For “The Super Samaon,” the expected weight advantage of over 30 pounds means he will pack more power in his punches than his opponent. Hunt may not be the more accurate striker, but he does land with more volume than Werdum. He also has a higher percentage of take downs landed and defended.
This is a far closer fight on paper than most care to believe. While the edge goes to Werdum, this is the heavyweight division. It is a weight class that often proves the old adage: Paper doesn’t fight paper.
Mexico City will play host to UFC history, in more ways than one, as a new champion will be crowned on Nov. 15 as Zuffa makes its first ever stop in the combat sports hot bed.
Will it be the Muay Thai black belt Werdum, the world champion grappler and MMA veteran who has been competing since 2002 and who once sent the entire MMA world into a frenzy when he submitted Fedor Emelianenko with a triangle arm bar?
Or will it be Hunt, a K-1 Grand Prix champion who joined the UFC on a five-fight losing streak, made his debut with a loss but has since gone on an unbelievable 5-1-1 run inside the Octagon? Dana White has labelled Hunt’s story the best in modern day sports. One can just imagine if it culminates with a victory at the Arena Ciudad de México.
Rest assured, White will be taking on all-comers should they disagree with his assessment of Hunt’s inspirational story.