The UFC's heavyweight title is an undomesticated beast.
The sport's biggest, baddest fighters have tried to tame her, and again and again, they've failed.
When a heavyweight seizes the belt, it's inevitable he will cough it up within two fights. That's a fact. The most consecutive title defenses in UFC heavyweight history is two, a mark held by Cain Velasquez, Brock Lesnar, Randy Couture and Tim Sylvia.
Sorry, I just wanted to throw that name out there a second time to really hammer home the feral nature of the heavyweight strap.
Velasquez was the latest victim of the two-and-out curse, losing the title to Fabricio Werdum in an attempt to break the spell and notch his third consecutive defense on Saturday.
He couldn't do it.
While shooting for a takedown on the Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist, Velasquez found himself trapped in a guillotine, and the fight was done. In a flash, Velasquez tumbled back down the heavyweight mountain and handed over his precious title.
Now, Werdum looks to make history and chase the elusive three-peat in the heavyweight division. Title defenses No. 1 and No. 2 come first, of course, but right now, Werdum looks well positioned to perform the impossible.
His striking, once his downfall, is not only serviceable now—it's elite. He's battering opponents on the feet and leaving them with literally nowhere to go.
No heavyweight can hang with Werdum on the mat—save for perhaps Frank Mir and Josh Barnett, but they're a bit out of the title picture—and it's slowly looking like no heavyweight can strike with him, either.
But there are some takers who could make things interesting.
The most obvious choice to end Werdum's reign before title defense No. 3 is Junior "Cigano" Dos Santos. Werdum previously lost to Dos Santos at UFC 90 via knockout and was subsequently cut from the promotion, so a rematch is intriguing on several levels.
Dos Santos' hands are powerful and precise. Twelve of his 17 victories came via knockout, and the only man in the UFC to trouble him to date is Velasquez. With Velasquez now off the throne, Dos Santos could get another title shot and regain what was once his.
With that said, I do not favor Dos Santos in a rematch with Werdum.
Perhaps controversially, I think Werdum underestimated Dos Santos the first time around, and I also think Werdum has grown much more than Cigano since that first encounter.
Werdum's striking still might not be as good as Dos Santos', but it's much better than it was when they previously fought in 2008. Dos Santos will no longer have a clear-cut advantage in the stand-up department.
Furthermore, Dos Santos' losses to Velasquez shaved years off his fighting life. Since losing to Velasquez the second time, Dos Santos has competed only once, defeating Stipe Miocic via controversial decision. In that fight, he looked to have a lost a step or two from the time he ruled the heavyweight roost.
Werdum should handle him in a rematch.
After that, we're likely looking at a rematch with Velasquez, a rematch with Andrei Arlovski, a fight with Ben Rothwell or a grudge match with Alistair Overeem for Werdum's second title defense.
Each of those fighters presents unique challenges for the champ, but he should still be favored in all of those potential bouts.
Right now, it's hard to picture anybody in the division defeating Werdum, but we've seen how that whole "unbeatable" story plays out too many times in this sport. Let's not get carried away. Literally any of the challengers mentioned in this article could end Werdum's reign in an instant.
Maybe it's not likely, but if the heavyweight division has shown us anything, it's that the only certainty is chaos—and chaos reigns in the big boys' division.
Werdum can make UFC history by securing just three title defenses, and his skill set and current list of challengers say he'll do it.
History, however, tells us he won't.
