The Ultimate Fighting Championship made its way to the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida tonight for UFC on FOX 11: “Werdum vs Browne.” The card was headlined by a heavyweight bout between jiu-jitsu specialist Fabricio “Vai Cavalo” Werdum and fast-rising contender Travis “Hapa” Browne.
In tonight’s pivotal co-feature, former Strikeforce Women’s Bantamweight Champion Miesha “Cupcake” Tate faced Liz “Girl-Rilla” Carmouche. Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone battled Edson Barboza in a lightweight showdown and Brad Tavares took on Yoel “Soldier of God” Romero Palacio at 185 pounds.
Fabricio “Vai Cavalo” Werdum vs Travis “Hapa” Browne
Round 1:
Browne scored with some hard punches and knees early in the fight and he dropped Werdum with a right hand. Browne followed with elbows and hammerfists on the mat, but Werdum recovered and scrambled up. He took Browne down and looked to set up a submission from the top. Browne defended and returned to his feet. Werdum targeted the body with kicks and punches and he followed with a combination. A spinning wheel kick landed for Browne, but Werdum answered with an uppercut and a spinning back kick to the body. He hurt Browne with punches just before the bell. 10-9 Werdum.
Round 2:
Browne landed a head kick in round two and Werdum immediately responded with a body kick and a takedown. He transitioned from Browne’s back to side control and landed a series of short elbows and hammerfists. A fatigued Browne finally got back to his feet, but he slowed down considerably and Werdum landed jabs and leg kicks. Werdum scored with a body kick and a knee late in the round. 10-9 Werdum.
Round 3:
Werdum opened round three with a combination and a body kick. A spinning backfist backed Browne up and Werdum kept the pressure on with more punches. He continued to punish Browne with body shots and pinned him against the cage. Browne broke free and landed a lead right hook. Werdum stunned him with a knee and a flurry of punches. He tripped Browne briefly and landed knees on the way up. Another spinning backfist connected for Werdum and he followed with a knee. He landed a kick-punch-kick combo shortly before time expired. 10-9 Werdum.
Round 4:
The fourth round began with jabs from Werdum and he backed Browne up with a combination. Time was called after Werdum was kicked in the groin. Action resumed and Werdum tried for a takedown. Browne stuffed it and Werdum scored with a one-two. He landed another quick combination seconds later and avoided two head kicks from Browne. 10-9 Werdum.
Round 5:
Werdum took Browne down right away in round five, but Browne quickly returned to his feet. The fighters traded right hands and Werdum connected with jabs. He tried for another takedown and Browne shrugged him off. More jabs scored for Werdum and Browne began to bleed heavily from the nose. Werdum landed two body kicks and blocked a head kick. He darted in and out with quick punches and avoided Browne’s strikes. A bloodied Browne landed a hard one-two and a knee late in the fight. 10-9 Werdum.
Winner: Fabricio Werdum by Unanimous Decision (50-45, 50-45, 49-46) after five rounds. He improves to 18-5-1.
Miesha “Cupcake” Tate vs Liz “Girl-Rilla” Carmouche
Round 1:
Tate landed quick jabs and a front kick to the body in the opening minute. Carmouche clinched and backed her up against the cage. The fighters battled for position and Carmouche got Tate down. Tate was warned for an illegal downward elbow to the back. On the feet, Tate landed reverse elbow strikes and Carmouche kneed her in the thigh. She took Tate down again and tried to transition to back control as Tate stood. She landed more knees to Tate’s leg and fought off a kimura attempt by taking Tate down into half-guard. 10-9 Carmouche.
Round 2:
Carmouche punched her way into a clinch in round two and held Tate against the cage. Tate countered with knees and tried for a takedown. She landed two solid right hands, but Carmouche took her down. Tate landed elbows on the ground and worked back to her feet. Carmouche dumped her to the mat once more and Tate secured a guillotine choke as the fighters stood. She pulled half-guard with the choke, but Carmouche scrambled to her knees and escaped. The close round ended with Carmouche on Tate’s back. 10-9 Tate.
Round 3:
Tate flurried with punches right away in round three and took Carmouche down. Carmouche stood and Tate tripped her into side control. She looked to set up chokes from the top and peppered Carmouche with punches and elbows. Carmouche gave up her back and Tate attempted a rear-naked choke. Carmouche defended, but Tate was relentless in her pursuit of the submission. Carmouche stood with Tate on her back and Tate tightened the choke. Carmouche fell back down to the mat, but she managed to escape from Tate’s submissions. Tate stood over Carmouche and punched until the bell. 10-8 Tate.
Winner: Miesha Tate by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. She improves to 14-5-0.
Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone vs Edson Barboza
Round 1:
Barboza stunned Cerrone with a right hand as round one began, but Cerrone recovered and the fighters exchanged leg kicks. Barboza landed quick punches and he cracked Cerrone with a lead left hook. Two huge right hands scored for Barboza, but Cerrone stayed on his feet. Barboza landed a spinning back kick to the body and he continued to target Cerrone’s midsection. A stiff jab dropped Barboza and Cerrone immediately hopped on his back. He locked on a rear-naked choke and Barboza tapped out.
Winner: Donald Cerrone by Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) at 3:15 of round one. He improves to 23-6-0, 1 NC.
Yoel “Soldier of God” Romero Palacio vs Brad Tavares
Round 1:
Romero threw a variety of kicks in the opening round and he connected with a hard left cross that set off an exchange of punches. Romero took Tavares down and Tavares worked back to his feet. Romero slammed him to the mat once again and took Tavares’s back on the way up. He kneed Tavares in the thigh and looked to set up another takedown. Tavares broke free and landed a combination. Romero got him down and nearly locked on a kimura in the final 30 seconds. 10-9 Romero.
Round 2:
Romero took Tavares down immediately in round two. Tavares got back to his feet and he landed a knee and two right hands. Romero landed an elbow as Tavares pressed forward with punches. Tavares began to bleed from the top of his forehead as a result. Romero landed a big one-two and he tried for a takedown against the cage. Tavares reversed and attempted a takedown of his own, but Romero countered with a kimura. Tavares threw a flying knee and ate a big left hook for his efforts. 10-9 Romero.
Round 3:
Romero stuffed a takedown and landed knees in the final round. The fighters traded heavy leg kicks and Romero shrugged off a clinch attempt. He landed a left cross and took Tavares down. Tavares stood and Romero kept him pinned against the fence until the referee called for a break. In the final 15 seconds, Romero landed a left cross and slammed Tavares to the mat. 10-9 Romero.
Winner: Yoel Romero Palacio by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 8-1-0.
Undercard Fights:
– Khabib “The Eagle” Nurmagomedov defeated Rafael dos Anjos by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 22-0-0 with the win.
– Thiago “Pitbull” Alves defeated Seth “The Polish Pistola” Baczynski by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 20-9-0 with the win.
– Jorge “Gamebred” Masvidal defeated Pat “Bam Bam” Healy by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 26-8-0 with the win.
– Alex “The Spartan” White defeated Estevan “El Terrible” Payan by KO (Punches) at 1:28 of round one. He improves to 10-0-0 with the win.
– Caio “Hellboy” Magalhães defeated Luke Zachrich by TKO (Punches) at 0:44 of round one. He improves to 8-1-0 with the win.
– Jordan “Young Gun” Mein defeated Hernani Perpetuo by Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29) after three rounds. He improves to 28-9-0 with the win.
– Dustin Ortiz defeated Ray “The Tazmexican Devil” Borg by Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29) after three rounds. He improves to 13-3-0 with the win.
– Mirsad Bektic defeated Chas “The Scrapper” Skelly by Majority Decision (29-27, 29-27, 28-28) after three rounds. He improves to 8-0-0 with the win.
– Derrick “The Black Beast” Lewis defeated Jack “The Outlaw” May by TKO (Punches) at 4:23 of round one. He improves to 10-2-0, 1 NC with the win.