Velasquez Currently 1.20 Favourite To Beat Werdum on June 13th
Published on March 24th, 2015 7:27 pm ESTDespite the fact that he hasn't fought since October of 2013, UFC Heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez remains the overwhelming favourite to beat Fabricio Werdum at UFC 188 in June.
Velasquez has been beset by a number of injuries since retaining his title against Junior dos Santos at UFC 166 on October 19th, 2013. The UFC had originally been planning for Velasquez to defend his title against Fabricio Werdum at UFC 180, however Velasquez suffered a torn meniscus and sprained MCL in his right knee and was forced from the event. Mark Hunt stepped in to square off against Werdum for the interim title.
On June 13th, 2015, Velasquez and Werdum will step into the Octagon in the main event of UFC 188 in Mexico City, Mexico. Velasquez has Mexican blood running through his veins which is why his presence at a UFC event is such a big deal in the country. The Mexican people have been waiting to support Velasquez and it looks like they will finally get their chance in June.
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Despite the fact that Velasquez surely has a tremendous amount of ring rust, the champion remains a healthy favourite to retain his title. Here are the current betting odds:
Cain Velasquez, 1.20
Fabricio Werdum, 4.50
According to these odds, Velasquez has a 83.33% chance of winning the fight while Werdum's odds sit at just 22.22%.
While Werdum is one of the most skilled fighters in the UFC on the ground, the general consensus seems to be that he will be unable to keep up with the ferocious pace of Velasquez. Velasquez, who is a skilled wrestler (he was able to put Lesnar on the ground, which is no small feat), has a seemingly unlimited gas tank and will likely give Werdum fits if the fight moves into the championship rounds. Werdum has shown a vast improvement in his striking game over the past couple of years, though the consensus is that Velasquez is still better and more powerful on the feet.
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Let's keep our fingers crossed that this fight ends up coming together.
