UFC 188: Velasquez vs. Werdum was live from the Arena Ciudad de México as the UFC made its second appearance in Mexico City, Mexico on June 13, 2015.
The main event was a UFC Heavyweight Championship unification bout as the champion Cain Velasquez took on the Interim UFC Heavyweight Champion Fabrício Werdum. The co-main event was a fight that fans have been yearning for, for some time as former Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Gilbert Melendez took on former Bellator Lightweight Champion Eddie Alvarez.
Just like at every event, UFC 188 saw a bunch of fighters come out victorious and take a step forward in their career, whereas others were unsuccessful and have to take a step back for the time being. With that being said, take a look at our biggest winners and losers from UFC 188 below.
Winners
Fabrício Werdum
At UFC 188, Fabrício Werdum looked to unify the UFC Heavyweight Championship as he took on Cain Velasquez. Werdum once again shocked the MMA world with another upset to add to his impressive résumé. The first round was relatively competitive and it was likely that Velasquez took it, but it was all Werdum from there on out. Many weren’t giving the Brazilian a real shot at winning, but that was exactly what he did as he submitted Velasquez via guillotine choke at 2:13 of Round 3. Werdum not only is now the undisputed UFC Heavyweight Champion, but he added a huge win over Velasquez to his record giving him one of the most impressive careers in all of heavyweight MMA history.
Yair Rodriguez
At UFC 188, Yair Rodriguez was put into the biggest spotlight of his very young MMA career. The ‘TUF: Latin America’ delivered in a very big way. Rodriguez put on a very exciting fight and there was not a position he was put in where he was not active and trying to attack. The 22-year-old also showed very diverse and wild striking. Although having only six fights in his MMA career, Rodriguez has shown that he has real potential and it will be interesting to see how his career progresses.
Losers
Cain Velasquez
At UFC 188, Cain Velasquez made his return to the octagon after being gone for nearly two years. Velasquez was looking to unify the titles as he took on interim UFC Heavyweight Champion Fabrício Werdum. The American Kickboxing Academy heavyweight was a big favorite and many were expecting him to win in dominant fashion, but that was not the case. Velasquez lost only the second fight of his career as he was submitted by guillotine choke at 2:13 of Round 3. No one knows what factors played into the fight, but on this night, Velasquez was bested which is something he is not accustomed to. Velasquez will surely be back and remain amongst the best of the heavyweight division; this was just an unexpected step back for the time being.
Nate Marquardt
At UFC 188, Nate Marquardt took on Kelvin Gastelum who was moving back up to the middleweight division after many failed weight cuts at welterweight. It was a must win for Marquardt as he had only won once in his last five outings. The former middleweight title challenger looked to be outmatched, as Gastelum was able to do pretty much whatever he wanted. Marquardt’s cornermen save him from any further damage as they stopped the fight at the conclusion of the second round. Having fought 50 times in his pro MMA career and already being 36-years-old, the future of the former Strikeforce Welterweight Champion is very much in question.
