Wednesday 19 November 2014 11:44, UK
Fabricio Werdum knocked out Mark Hunt with a flying knee to claim the interim heavyweight championship at UFC 180, the organisation’s first venture to Mexico.
The finish was spectacular – Werdum jumped forwards and blasted Hunt with a knee that ended the fight in a flash. It was a memorable way to culminate the first UFC event in Mexico, a nation whose fighting spirit has traditionally been displayed only in boxing.
Brazil’s Werdum is now expected to face the Mexican-American champion Cain Velasquez, whose injury paved the way for Hunt’s inclusion in the headline fight, for the undisputed title.
Hunt’s call-up on three weeks’ notice was ultimately too much of a challenge to overcome although he dominated the opening round before being stopped in the second. He knocked Werdum down within 60 seconds, then completed a take-down and a powerful uppercut within the first round.
Hunt claimed another knock-down moments into the second but the tide would turn shortly after. Werdum’s first significant strike of the fight – a flying knee – knocked Hunt out after seven-and-a-half minutes.
Previously at UFC 180, Kelvin Gastelum and Ricardo Lamas earned submission wins over Jake Ellenberger and Dennis Bermudez, respectively. Jessica Eye beat Leslie Smith by TKO after a freak cut to Smith’s ear, although she valiantly continued for a while with the severe injury.
