We have to consider the speed at which Fabricio Werdum is improving
Some phrases get thrown around too much and lose their impact. Some fighters look better with every fight because they aren’t competing at the right level. Werdum has actually been facing better competition and looking better with each fight. His striking, specifically his muay thai, is progressing at a phenomenal rate. He has faced some decent strikers in his previous fights. I say decent because Roy Nelson and Travis Brown hit hard, but aren’t very technical or versatile. Mark Hunt is a great striker though, and Werdum beat him at his own game with beautiful feints and perfect timing. He even made the adjustment mid match. He was losing and needed to do something different. Noticing that Mark Hunt was starting to throw more uppercuts he chose to fake the takedown and throw the flying knee. That is some excellent fight awareness. A good game plan can only get you so far, mid match adjustments are what separate champions from the rest. It is impressive that the best grappler in the heavyweight division has won 4 out of his last 5 with strikes. In fact the only time he used his BJJ was against the 2nd or 3rd best BJJ practitioner at heavyweight. We have to consider how fast he is evolving while Cain sits on the sidelines with injury. Three fights ago I would have said Cain mauls Fabricio for an easy win. Now with another injury, and more time for Werdum to get even better than he already is, when they fight it just might be one of the best heavyweight fights in UFC history, and with a new undisputed champion.
