UFC 180: Matches to Make for the Entire Fight Card
At UFC 180, Fabricio Werdum defeated Mark Hunt to become the interim heavyweight champion.
The Brazilian was originally booked to meet Cain Velasquez on Saturday, but the titleholder was injured and replaced by Hunt. At 40 years old, this may have been Hunt's first and last chance to capture UFC gold, which would have capped the most unlikely of championship runs.
Hunt didn't go down easy against Werdum. The Super Samoan dropped Werdum and even scored a takedown in the opening round. However, things took a sudden turn in the second stanza.
Werdum landed a flying knee that sent Hunt to the canvas. Before he could recover, Hunt was eating follow-up punches, and referee Herb Dean was forced to step in.
Another UFC event is in the books, so here is a look at the matchups that should be next for Werdum, Hunt and the rest of the UFC 180 competitors.
Prelim Fighters
1 of 11
Prelim Winners
| Fighter | Matchup |
| Yair Rodriguez | Alex White vs. Clay Collard Winner |
| Alejandro Perez | Frankie Saenz |
| Jessica Eye | Holly Holm |
| Gabriel Benitez | Bekbulat Magomedov |
| Henry Briones | Royston Wee |
| Marco Beltran | Ian Entwistle vs. Anthony Birchak Winner |
Prelim Losers
| Fighter | Matchup |
| Leonardo Morales | Alex White vs. Clay Collard Loser |
| Jose Quinonez | Patrick Williams |
| Leslie Smith | Alexandra Albu |
| Humberto Brown | None (Release) |
| Guido Cannetti | None (Release) |
| Marlon Vera | Roman Salazar |
Edgar Garcia
2 of 11
Matchup: Leon Edwards
Following an 0-2 UFC run in 2009, Edgar Garcia earned his way back to the big show with wins in seven of eight bouts outside the Octagon.
Garcia had a second chance to make a first impression, but he didn't show much improvement against Hector Urbina. After taking Urbina's back early, Garcia lost the position and got caught in a guillotine choke before the opening round came to an end.
Despite his 0-3 UFC record, Garcia will probably get one more chance to pick up a win inside the Octagon. With a loss in his UFC debut, Leon Edwards would make sense as an opponent.
Hector Urbina
3 of 11
Matchup: Alberto Mina
Despite suffering losses in two of his past three outings heading into Saturday, Urbina was given an opportunity to appear on the UFC 180 main card.
The American Top Team product made the most of the circumstance against Garcia. Following a slow start, Urbina fended off an attempt at a rear-naked choke and answered with a guillotine choke for a surprise submission victory.
Also coming off of a win in his UFC debut, Alberto Mina would be a logical adversary for Urbina now.
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Chris Heatherly
4 of 11
Matchup: None (Release)
Chris Heatherly looked good in spots during his sophomore UFC outing, but he ultimately suffered another opening-round stoppage loss.
The American scored a takedown and landed a couple big shots early on, but Augusto Montano was eventually able to feed off his hometown Mexican crowd. As the first round began to wind down, Montano peppered Heatherly with knees until referee John McCarthy had seen enough with 10 seconds remaining.
Usually 0-2 UFC starts lead to fighters being released. Although he appeared on a pay-per-view main card, Heatherly isn't likely to be an exception.
Augusto Montano
5 of 11
Matchup: Dhiego Lima
Possibly the most popular Mexican competing on the UFC's debut event in Mexico, Montano didn't let the home crowd down Saturday.
"I realize most people don’t know who Augusto Montano is, but I can’t wait to see him walk out tonight. Was star of open workouts. Huge pop.
— John Morgan (@MMAjunkieJohn) November 16, 2014"
Montano allowed a takedown and ate some heavy punches in the opening minutes. However, he settled in well and overwhelmed Heatherly in the final minute of the first stanza.
At 30 years old, Montano isn't an overly young prospect, so he'll look to start moving up the ranks quickly. His next step could be a matchup with Dhiego Lima.
Dennis Bermudez
6 of 11
Matchup: Frankie Edgar vs. Cub Swanson Loser
In the highly competitive 145-pound division, seven straight wins weren't enough to earn Dennis Bermudez a shot at the featherweight championship. Now, The Menace will have to start a new streak to get back into the conversation for a title shot.
"Bummer, Dennis Bermudez. Star was on the rise...right into a Ricardo Lamas guillotine choke.
— Ben Fowlkes (@benfowlkesMMA) November 16, 2014"
Dropped by a jab in the opening round, Bermudez couldn't recover quickly enough to fend off a submission. Ricardo Lamas pounced on a guillotine choke and wrapped things up in a little over three minutes.
With such a long winning streak prior to the loss, Bermudez shouldn't see a big step down in competition. There's a good chance he'll meet the loser of a November 22 bout between Frankie Edgar and Cub Swanson.
Ricardo Lamas
7 of 11
Matchup: Chad Mendes
Lamas has responded well to his February loss to featherweight champion Jose Aldo.
On Saturday, Lamas picked up a huge submission victory over a surging Bermudez. With the win, Lamas has now won two in a row and is starting to make a case for a rematch with Aldo.
".@RicardoLamasMMA is now tied for 2nd most finishes in UFC featherweight competition with 4. Poirier has 5. #UFC180
— #UFC180 (@ufc) November 16, 2014"
In order to earn that second crack at the Brazilian titleholder, Lamas is likely going to need to win at least one more big victory. A bout with Chad Mendes, who is also looking to earn a rematch with the 145-pound champion, would give Lamas a chance to prove he's worthy.
Jake Ellenberger
8 of 11
Matchup: Josh Koscheck
For a long time, Jake Ellenberger was considered one of the best in the welterweight division. Suddenly, he's now in danger of being bounced from the Top 15 rankings.
"Has any fighter hit the wall as hard and as fast as Jake Ellenberger? Went from being Bigg Rigg before Bigg Rigg was Bigg Rigg to...this.
— Steven Rondina (@srondina) November 16, 2014"
At UFC 180, Ellenberger was caught in a Kelvin Gastelum rear-naked choke, resulting in his first UFC submission loss. With three straight defeats, Ellenberger might even be in danger of getting released should the UFC brass decide he isn't providing a good return on its investment.
I do think Ellenberger will get one more chance, but it might be his last. Josh Koscheck has been waiting for a big matchup to potentially retire on, and a bout with an equally struggling Ellenberger makes some sense right now.
Kelvin Gastelum
9 of 11
Matchup: Tyron Woodley
Once a huge underdog on TUF 17, Gastelum isn't being overlooked now.
"Kelvin Gastelum came up huge in the biggest fight of his career, choking out Jake Ellenberger at #UFC180 http://t.co/tfD9EFeVuJ
— UFCONFOX (@UFCONFOX) November 16, 2014"
In his first test against a Top 10 welterweight, Gastelum passed with flying colors. With less than one minute remaining in the opening round, Gastelum locked up a rear-naked choke and became the first fighter to submit Ellenberger inside the Octagon.
After such an impressive win over Ellenberger, Gastelum should see a Top Five welterweight coming his way. Tyron Woodley would provide an intriguing stylistic matchup.
Mark Hunt
10 of 11
Matchup: Ben Rothwell
Most gave Werdum an advantage over Hunt heading into UFC 180, but few would have predicted that the Brazilian would win the way he did.
Hunt, being one of the more talented strikers in the heavyweight division, was floored by a Werdum flying knee in the second round. Werdum's striking has been improving, but it was supposed to be his grappling that would get the job done Saturday against Hunt.
"Hunt: “I got caught. … It was a good move. It was his spot anyway.” *chuckle*
— Marc Raimondi (@marc_raimondi) November 16, 2014"
It's back to the drawing board for Hunt, who is now 40 years old. The last time Hunt met Ben Rothwell, he recorded a lackluster decision win. Take that matchup to a lower altitude than Denver, and I think it's much more entertaining, though.
Fabricio Werdum
11 of 11
Matchup: Cain Velasquez
At 37 years old, Werdum is looking better than ever, and he now has UFC gold around his waist as a result.
"And the Interim UFC heavyweight champion of the world...@FabricioWerdum!!!! #UFC180 pic.twitter.com/YFOL2Kuqot
— UFC (@ufc) November 16, 2014"
Werdum has arguably been the best grappler in the heavyweight division, but he's now showing some high-level striking to go along with that. On Saturday, Werdum stopped Hunt with a flying knee, which gave him his second knockout win in four outings.
The new well-rounded Werdum is a serious threat to fellow champion Cain Velasquez. As long as Velasquez doesn't suffer any setbacks, a title merger should be next.
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