UFC 180: Start Time, Prelim Live Stream Info and Full Fight Card Predictions
Fabricio Werdum and Mark Hunt will headline a packed UFC 180 card with a fight Saturday in Mexico City, Mexico, for the interim heavyweight title.
Having won his last four UFC bouts, Werdum enters the event as the favorite to become a placeholder champion for the injured Cain Velasquez, who was originally supposed to defend the belt against "Vai Cavalo."
On the other hand, Hunt can cement his improbable climb up the heavyweight ladder years after suffering six straight losses. Will the 40-year-old Samoan capitalize on his opportunity? His quest for glory is the top story entering the weekend, but it's just one of five fights occupying the main card after six preliminary bouts.
Here is the viewing information for the event followed by my latest predictions for each fight on the UFC 180 schedule:
When:ย Saturday, Nov. 15
Where:ย Arenaย Ciudadย deย Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico
Start Time: UFCย Fight Pass Prelims at 7 p.m. ET; Fox Sports 1 Prelims at 8 p.m. ET; Main Cardย PPVย at 10 p.m. ET
Live Stream:ย UFC.TVย , Fox Sports Go (for preliminary fights on FS1)
| Marco Beltran vs. Marlon Vera | Vera (R2 submission) |
| Henry Briones vs. Guido Cannetti | Briones (R2 TKO) |
| Yair Rodriguez vs. Leonardo Morales | Morales (R3 KO) |
| Alejandro Perez vs. Jose Quinonez | Quinonez (R2 KO) |
| Jessica Eye vs. Leslie Smith | Eye (decision) |
| Gabriel Benitez vs. Humberto Brown | Benitez (R1 submission) |
| Edgar Garcia vs. Hector Urbina | Garcia (R2 TKO) |
| Augusto Montano vs. Chris Heatherly | Heatherly (decision) |
| Ricardo Lamas vs. Dennis Bermudez | Bermudez (decision) |
| Jake Ellenberger vs. Kelvin Gastelum | Gastelum (R2 KO) |
| Fabricio Werdum vs. Mark Hunt | Werdum (R3 submission) |
Werdum vs. Hunt Preview
Everyone loves an underdog story, which makes Hunt the primary rooting interest given his unlikely journey to this fight.
A quick glance at the tale of the tape reveals an uninspiring 10-8-1 record in mixed martial arts, hardly the resume of a champion. After starting his career at 5-1, he lost six consecutive battles, going over four years without a victory.
He then turned the corner, rattling off four UFC wins to earn a 5-1-1 mark since that sour patch from May 5, 2006 to Feb. 26, 2011. Feel-good comebacks top the underdog checklist, and facing the top-ranked heavyweight only bolsters that narrative.
Hunt acknowledged and embraced that role heading into the biggest fight of his career, per MMAFighting.com'sย Shaun Al-Shatti:
"My whole career's been an underdog's. I'm not supposed to be here. I won the world title in K-1 as a nobody. Of course I'm the underdog. Everyone is saying it. I mean, even these circumstances brings me there, but hey, man, it makes a good story. If anyone can do it, I can do it.
"
Hunt also had to slash his weight to 265 pounds, which will work against him in this fight. Along with dealing with Mexico City's high altitudes, he admitted to Al-Shatti that he's battling sluggishness due to a strict diet:ย
"I haven't had any carbs for three weeks, so I'm hungry. When I have some carbs, I'll have the energy to think about my plan and my performance and my fighting. My plan ultimately is to go and hurt him. If you don't know, this is the hurt business. And we're pretty good at hurting people.ย My job is to go hurt Fabricio as much as I can, so he doesn't put a hurt on me. I'll make up a plan while I'm doing it
"
Both veterans bring a different style to the Octagon.ย While Werdum has obtained half of his victories by submission, Hunt has yet to make an opponent tap. He has, however, procured a 70 percent knockout rate, collecting his last three victories via KO.
Sherdog.com's Javier Vazquezย cited Werdum's takedown skills as his meal ticket to besting Hunt.
"Everyone loves Huntโs story, but he has a tall task with Werdum. If the fight hits the ground, it should be over quickly. If Werdum wants to test his standup, I would recommend against it against Hunt. He is very durable and hits very hard. The safe bet is to take Hunt down, which could prove to be challenging, as his takedown defense has gotten better.
"
For Werdum to emerge victorious, he must bring Hunt to the mat, no easy task considering his burly opponent's 72.13ย takedown defense percentage. Yet the grappling artist can't afford to test Hunt's stand-up game, as a battle of strikes bodes poorly for the 37-year-old Brazilian.
Look for Werdum to put Hunt's redemption saga to rest with a submission, making him the temporary champion until Velasquez is ready to fight for the crown.
Prediction: Werdum via submission
Note: Fight stats courtesy of UFC.com
