Fabricio Werdum defeats Cain Velasquez with third-round submission to become undisputed heavyweight champion

Fabricio Werdum defeated rusty Cain Velasquez at UFC 188 in Mexico City
It was Velasquez’s first fight in 20 months following a lengthy injury lay-off
The victory on Saturday was Brazilian Werdum’s sixth straight win
Kelvin Gastelum got a TKO in the second round to defeat Nate Marquardt
In the lightweight division, Eddie Alvarez defeated Gilbert Melendez

Published:
09:49 GMT, 14 June 2015

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Updated:
12:46 GMT, 14 June 2015

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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 (13-2), who was fighting for the first time in 20 months after suffering injuries in his shoulder and knee. It was Werdum’s sixth straight win.

The Brazilian jiujitsu specialist cut local favourite Velasquez’s left eye in the first round and the former heavyweight champion struggled to overcome it.

Fabricio Werdum (right) cut local favourite Cain Velasquez’s (left) eye in the first round of their fight

American Velasquez was fighting for the first time in 20 months following a lengthy injury lay-off

Werdum of Brazil defeated Velasquez by tap-out in third round to become undisputed heavyweight champion

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.

Gastelum, who missed the welterweight limit in two of his last three fights, was coming off the first loss of his career on January against Tyron Woodley. After Saturday’s win, he wants a chance to go back to his former division.

In the lightweight division, Eddie Alvarez defeated Gilbert Melendez by split decision despite fighting with his left eye closed after taking an elbow to the face in the first round.

Also, Tecia Torres remained undefeated (6-0) with a unanimous decision over Angela Hill (2-1) in strawweight. In another fight, up-and-coming Mexican Yair Rodriguez (6-1) got a split decision victory over Charles Rosa (10-2) in a featherweight combat.

The Brazilian celebrates his victory on Saturday night in Mexico City after securing his sixth straight win

Prior to the main event, Mexican-American middleweight Kelvin Gastelum (left) took on Nate Marquardt

Gastelum (12-1) got a TKO in the second round to defeat Marquardt (36-15-2), a former strikeout champion

On the undercard, flyweight Henry Cejudo, a 2008 Olympic gold medalist in freestyle wrestling for the US, improved to 9-0 with a unanimous decision over Chico Camus (15-6).

‘I was very sick the last three days, I suffered from food poisoning and I wanted to cancel but I did my best,’ Cejudo said. ‘I won the gold in Beijing, now I want to become a champion at the UFC.’

Also, Ireland’s Cathan Pendred (17-3-1) won a unanimous decision over Mexico City’s Augusto Montano (15-2), Patrick Williams (8-4) defeated local fighter Alejandro Perez (16-6) by submission in the first round, and Efrain Escudero (25-9) took care of Drew Dober (15-3) by tap-out in the first round.