SUMMARY
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MANILA, Philippines – Stipe Miocic scored a major upset, dethroning Fabricio Werdum for the world heavyweight championship in the main event of UFC 198 on Sunday, May 15 (Manila time) at the Arena da Baixada in Curitiba, Brazil.
The 33-year-old Croatian-American fighter knocked the Brazilian titleholder out cold with a counter right cross at the 2:47 mark of the opening round to become the promotion’s 19th heavyweight champion.
Stipe Miocic knocks out Fabricio Werdum in the first round to win the UFC heavyweight championship. #UFC198 pic.twitter.com/CuZhloojhg
— NISSI ICASIANO (@Nissi_Icasiano) May 15, 2016
“I knew he’s tough. I trained hard. He was quicker than I thought. He was catching me off-guard a little bit. But I’ve got power. I don’t throw hard all the time, but that was my shot,” Miocic said in his post-fight interview.
Accuracy was Miocic’s key to victory against Werdum, who had no qualms in trading strikes with his opponent in the first 90 seconds of the round as he chopped away with leg kicks.
However, Miocic returned the favor to Werdum as he gave his Brazilian counterpart a few solid low kicks before he stepped backward as the champion turned his head with a straight right hand.
Werdum tried to convert for a single-leg takedown, but Miocic stuffed the attempt and kept the action on the feet.
As Werdum negligently came forward and wriggled to launch a punching combination, Miocic countered a thunderous right hand that was perfectly placed on his surging foe’s chin.
When Werdum dropped on the canvas in a heap, referee Dan Miragliotta quickly waved it off, prompting Miocic to celebrate on top of the Octagon fence and scream, “I’m a world champion!”
“Tonight, he was better than I was. But I’m going to come back and I’m going to be the champion again,” Werdum stated after the fight.
With the astonishing knockout victory over Werdum, Miocic improves his professional record to 14-2 and is now riding high on a 3-fight winning streak.
Meanwhile, Werdum downgrades to a 20-5-1 slate and snaps his 6-bout victory parade, which he first started in February 2012 when “Vai Cavalo” successfully returned to the UFC by outclassing Roy Nelson.
In the co-main event, Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza (23-4) easily dispatched ex-UFC light heavyweight kingpin Vitor Belfort (25-12) via first-round technical knockout in their middleweight confrontation.
Souza, who likely cemented his stature as the No. 1 contender for the UFC middleweight title, opened a gash across the bridge of Belfort’s nose before he advanced to full mount and rained down punches to force the stoppage.
Also featured at UFC 198 was former 205-pound kingpin Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (24-10), who carved a split decision triumph over Corey Anderson (8-2). – Rappler.com
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