Orlando Sentinel
CURITIBA, Brazil — Remember the name: Stipe Miocic. And remember this: He’s the new UFC heavyweight champion, after knocking out Fabricio Werdum in the main event of UFC 198 in Curitiba, Brazil, on Saturday.
The title bout headlined a card that has drawn a lot of buzz among locals (the weigh-ins on Friday attracted a crowd of around 15,000) and hardcore fight fans because of its star power, depth and potential for crowd-pleasing matchups. Werdum, who had won eight straight fights including a battle with Travis Browne in Orlando in April 2014, was listed as a slight favorite in online sports books, but that didn’t matter once they got into the octagon.
Miocic was backpedaling away from Werdum when he planted his feet just long enough to slam Werdum with a solid right hand. The champion was out immediately, falling face-first to the mat.
Miocic, of Croatian descent, was born and raised in the Cleveland area.
In the co-main event, two veteran middleweights fought to stay in the title hunt as Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza blitzed Vitor Belfort in a 1st-round TKO win.
Cleveland pro sports teams should ask @stipemiocicufc to talk to their players. Should be a figure of inspiration. pic.twitter.com/8xIkAY5Rp4
— Chamatkar Sandhu (@SandhuMMA) May 16, 2016
Plus, after years of waiting and posturing, Cris Cyborg finally stepped into the octagon, dominating Leslie Smith on the way to a TKO victory in 1:21. The former Strikeforce featherweight champ has long been considered the top women’s talent outside the UFC, but a combination of drug issues and an unwillingness to drop to 135 pounds has kept her away. She fought Smith at a catchweight of 140 pounds, with the intention to drop to 135 and get into the title picture with a victory.
Get live round-by-round results from the Los Angeles Times’ Todd Martin here.
Cleveland champ: @stipemiocicufc tells the @FS1 @UFCONFOX crew the first place he’s bringing title belt once home https://t.co/rdeDfGWGuX
— SportsTime Ohio (@SportsTimeOhio) May 16, 2016
The full lineup:
Renato Moicana d. Zubaira Tukhugov via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Sergio Moraes went to a draw with Luan Chagas (29-28, 28-29, 28-28)
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira d. Patrick Cummins via 1st-round TKO (punches at 4:52)
John Lineker d. Rob Font via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-26)
Francisco Trinaldo d. Yancy Medeiros via unanimous decision (29-26, 30-27, 30-26)
Thiago Santos d. Nate Marquardt via 1st-round KO (punches at 3:39)
Demian Maia d. Matt Brown via 3rd-round submission (rear-naked choke at 4:31)
Bryan Barberena d. Warlley Alves via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Mauricio “Shogun” Rua d. Corey Anderson via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Cris Cyborg d. Leslie Smith via 1st-round TKO (punches at 1:21)
Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza d. Vitor Belfort via 1st-round TKO (punches at 4:38)
Stipe Miocic d. Fabricio Werdum via 1st-round KO (punch at 2:47)
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