MEXICO CITY – Fabricio Werdum of Brazil defeated a rusty Cain Velasquez by tap-out in the third round to become the undisputed heavyweight champion at UFC 188 on Saturday night.
With 2:13 left in the third round, Werdum (20-5-1) took down Velasquez, who was coming of a 20-month layoff after suffering injuries in his shoulder and knee. It was Werdum's sixth straight win.
The Brazilian jiujitsu specialist was able to cut local favorite Velasquez (13-2) in the left eye since the first round and the former heavyweight champion struggled through the rest of the fight to overcome it.
Prior to the main event, Mexican-American middleweight Kelvin Gastelum (12-1) got a TKO in the second round to defeat Nate Marquardt (36-15-2), a 36 year-old former strikeout champion.
