UFC 198: Stipe Miocic knocks out Fabricio Werdum to win heavyweight title
Curitiba witnessed a historic night in the UFC's heavyweight division
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Your support makes all the difference.A crowd of over 45,000 filled the Arena da Baixada in Curitiba last evening to witness UFC 198 and several of their hometown Brazilian heroes do battle once again in the UFC Octagon.
Unfortunately for the Brazilians, not many would have predicted they would be going home unhappy in a historic night for the heavyweight division.
Miocic silences the home crowd to win the UFC heavyweight title
In the main event, UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum faced American Stipe Miocic in what turned out to be a stunning match-up.
The fight looked to be getting off to a slow start as both fenced behind their jabs and traded the odd leg kick. Out of nowhere, Werdum then pushed forward and walked right into a right hook that sent him face to the mat unconscious.
The crowd sat there stunned as Miocic jumped the Octagon fence shouting "I'm the new heavyweight champion," and that he was. Bruce Buffer shortly after announced the winner and the belt was placed around the waist of the new heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic.
Souza destroys Belfort to throw his name in the middleweight title frame
The co-main event was a battle of two Brazilian middleweight veterans with Jacare Souza taking on the legendary Vitor Belfort. Both fighters were cheered to the Octagon by the Brazilian fans in what was the only fight of the evening that saw two home fighters clash.
After some very long and drawn out entrances, the fight didn't make it out the first round as Jacare employed a simple game plan that saw him take Belfort down and pummel him with ground and pound. The fight was briefly paused after two minutes so a doctor could check a cut on Belfort's face though the action resumed shortly after and Jacare forced the stoppage with just 22 seconds left in the round.
It was one of the more one-sided fights of the night and Jacare's impressive performance could see him in prime position for the next middleweight title shot following Luke Rockhold vs Chris Weidman II at UFC 199 in June.
Cyborg impresses with ruthless first round TKO
The long awaited debut of Cris Cyborg was the third fight from the top of the card as she took on American Leslie Smith in a 140lbs catchweight fight.
The hype for the Invicta champion was off the charts heading into the bout but Cyborg didn't let the pressure affect her one bit. The bout was predictably short-lived and after just 75 seconds it was stopped when Cyborg released a barrage of strikes to both the head and body of Smith, who simply had no answer and crumpled to the mat.
The referee did not mess about and called the fight off to hand Cyborg her very first UFC win.
'Shogun' rolls back the years to beat Anderson
Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua was perhaps performing in the UFC Octagon for the final time in front of his home crowd and he rolled back the years to put on his most impressive performance in recent years against the American Corey Anderson.
Shogun had the better of the first round and was unlucky to hear the end of the round bell having dropped Anderson just seconds earlier with a vicious straight right.
Round two was closer but in a mirror image of the first, Shogun dropped his man with another straight right that pierced his guard. Yet again, Anderson was saved by the end of the round. Anderson took control of the third round but he still couldn't find the finish which he evidently wanted having been dropped in the previous two.
Ultimately the fight went to the judges and it was 'Shogun' who got the nod on two of the cards to take the decision, much to the delight of the home crowd.
Barbenera makes it an unhappy homecoming for Alvares
Warley Alves vs Bryan Barberena opened up the main card and it was a hectic start as both came out swinging for the fences from the outset.
Both men were looking for power shots but landed with little success as the fight notably slowed in the latter stages of the second round. Despite both men evidently tiring fast, the final five minutes were equally as entertaining as both emptied the gas tanks and stood toe-to-toe until the final bell.
After it was all said and done, the judges scored the fight in favor of the America 29-28 on all the scorecards.
Best of the other action ...
Matt Brown put on a brave display in front of a highly hostile Brazilian crowd audience but his efforts were in vain as Demian Maia submitted him after four minutes and thirty-one seconds of the third round via a rear naked choke. The first round was as many had predicted, Maia using his slick grappling and Jiu Jitsu to smother Brown and deny him any space from which to offload his striking.
With the fight seemingly heading towards a decision finish, Maia got the stoppage having worked to the back well and sinking in the choke after working hard for it almost the entire fight. It was another impressive victory by Maia whose streak moved to five after this latest win.
Also on the preliminary card, there were wins for John Lineker over Rob Font, Thiago Santos over Nate Marquardt and Francisco Trinaldo over Yancy Medeiros.
UFC 198
Full results
Stipe Miocic def. Fabricio Werdum via KO (punch)
Round 1 – 2:47
Jacare Souza def. Vitor Belfort via TKO (punches)
Round 1 – 4:38
Cris Cyborg def. Leslie Smith via TKO (punches)
Round 1 – 1:21
Mauricio Rua def. Corey Anderson via split decision
(29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Bryan Barberena def. Warlley Alves via unanimous decision
(29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Fox Sports 1 Prelims
Demian Maia def. Matt Brown via submission (rear-naked choke)
Round 3 – 4:31
Thiago Santos def. Nate Marquardt via KO (punch)
Round 1 – 3:39
Francisco Trinaldo def. Yancy Medeiros via unanimous decision
(29-26, 30-27, 30-26)
John Lineker def. Rob Font via unanimous decision
(30-27, 29-28, 30-26)
UFC Fight Pass Prelims
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira def. Patrick Cummins via TKO (punches)
Round 1 – 4:52
Sergio Moraes vs. Luan Chagas declared split draw
(29-28, 28-29, 28-28)
Renato Moicano def. Zubaira Tukhugov via split decision
(28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
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