UFC 203: Miocic vs Overeem Date: September 10, 2016 Arena: Quicken Loans Arena City: Cleveland, OH Heavyweight bout: Fabricio Werdum (-205) vs Travis “Hapa” Browne (+188) Fight Breakdown: The co-main event for UFC 203 on Pay Per View will be a heavyweight showdown between former UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum and the Hawaiian Travis “Hapa” Browne, with Werdum being a -205 ($205 to win $100) betting favorite heading into the contest, and Browne being a +188 ($100 to win $188) underdog at Several Bookmakerss. Fabricio Werdum (20-6-1 MMA, 8-3 UFC) last saw action at UFC 198 nearly four months ago, where he suffered a first round knockout at the hands of Stipe Miocic in front of his fellow Brazilian crowd. He hopes to get back into the win column with a victory over Browne in this quick return to action. Werdum is a talented Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner who owns 50% of his professional mixed martial arts victories by way of tapout. He has also greatly improved his striking since working under the tutelage of head coach Master Rafael Cordeiro at Kings MMA in Huntingon Beach, CA and returning to the UFC for a second stint with the promotion. The Brazilian is a very well-rounded heavyweight who generally has good cardio, so he should have enough in the tank for a full three rounds of action heading into this heavyweight contet, should the judges’ get to have a say in the outcome. Travis “Hapa” Browne (18-4-1 MMA, 9-4-1 UFC) is coming off a first round TKO loss to 2x UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez at UFC 200 two months ago and will be stepping in on short notice for an injured Ben Rothwell to seek revenge against Werdum, who defeated him via five round unanimous decision a couple of years back. To avoid back to back losses for the first time in his professional mixed martial arts career, Browne looks to take Werdum out in impressive and devastating fashion. The Hawaiian is a striker who packs knockout power in every limb, and likes to implement them all in his fights. He is undoubtedly a knockout artist, with 14 of his 18 professional mixed martial arts career victories have come by way of T/KO; 10 of them in the first round of action, with seven of them in under two minutes. The 34 year old is a fast athlete who possesses good footwork and generallymoves well around the cage. His Muay Thai is solid and improving, and he is effective with his counter striking. Owning a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, “Hapa” is talented on the mat, as well. His submission game and grappling are improving; his submission game especially is quite under-rated. His defensive grappling is very good, too, as he does a phenomenal job of defending takedowns. In fact, he owns two UFC wins over opponents (Gabriel Gonzaga and Josh Barnett, respectively) via knockout using his elbows during takedown attempts. Browne is a durable fighter with a good chin and above average conditioning. He will be ready for three rounds of action in this contest, if necessary. Gabe’s Call: Browne by T/KO (punches, 0:39 round 1) Gabe’s Thoughts: I think Werdum is getting back in the cage way too soon following such a devastating knockout loss. Browne feels he has nothing to lose and will likely be fighting like it. He is always dangerous, and if he shows up like a man posessed, which is very possible, then I think it will be an easy victory for him, as their initial bout was expected to be. Gabe’s Recommended Play: Browne (+188) 2u to win 3.76u
