Fabricio Werdum will defend his UFC Heavyweight title for the first time when he takes on challenger Stipe Miocic at UFC 198. Werdum, who will be fighting in his native Brazil, was originally scheduled to defend the belt against Cain Velasquez in February, but injuries forced Cain out of that bout.
Miocic actually stepped in and agreed to fight Werdum on that card on less than two weeks notice, but ‘Vai Cavalo’ pulled out of that bout following his own injury.
Werdum opened as a healthy -190 favorite with Miocic coming back at +155 for their fight at UFC 198 per Sportsbook.
Despite being the ripe age of 38, Werdum has looked better in recent years than he ever has before. A move to Kings MMA played a huge role, as Rafael Cordeiro and company have greatly improved the champion’s standup game. The striking game has improved, but Werdum is a submission specialist by trade with 10 of his 20 career wins coming via tapout.
Miocic is a talented boxer who frequently uses high volume and an expert fight IQ to wear down his opponents. Stipe is also a former Division-1 wrestler, but prefers to use that skill defensively to keep fights standing.
- Fabricio Werdum -160
- Stipe Miocic +130
