UFC: Fabricio Werdum, Cain Velasquez Fight Could Be Interesting

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Cain Velasquez cemented his status as the baddest man on the planet with his clear-cut victory of Junior dos Santos on Saturday. The man approached the fight with ruthless aggression and pressed the action until he finished dos Santos in the fifth and final round. After that showing, it will be hard for many to believe there is a threat out there to Velasquez.

There is a pretty good shot that the next person at bat will be Fabricio Werdum. A winner of three straight fights, the 36-year-old Werdum has looked reborn since he stepped foot back into the Octagon in February 2012. He outlasted Roy Nelson to a unanimous decision victory, knocked out Mike Russow and submitted Antonio Rodrigo Nogueria. His last loss came against Alistair Overeem when the two competed in Strikeforce.

Related: UFC 166: What’s Next For Cain Velasquez?

Despite the fact that Velasquez looked unstoppable against dos Santos, Werdum might actually stand a chance against Velasquez. Why? It’s obvious — his submission game is tremendous.

If we look at who Velasquez has fought, none of them have possessed the unique submission skill set that Werdum has. Each of Velasquez’s 11 victories, with the exception of Nogueira, has come against individuals who were willing to stand and trade with the champion. It’s doubtful Werdum will choose to do that.

Werdum is great off his back, and Velasquez could very possibly look to wrestle Werdum to the ground. He does shy away from attacking fighters’ strengths (he wrestled with Brock Lesnar). It’s possible that if Velasquez put Werdum on his back, Werdum could submit him. Werdum did, after all, submit the great Fedor Emelianenko.

It’s doubtful that Werdum could stand with Velasquez. If he can’t get the fight to the ground, he basically stands no chance of dethroning the champion.

Anthony Cloud is a MMA Writer for Rant Sports. Follow him on Twitter @TheAceCloud, Facebook or Google.


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