The Ultimate Fighting Championship took the octagon to Curitiba, Brazil, on Saturday for UFC 198: Werdum vs. Miocic. The fight card featured a heavyweight title fight, a top contender middleweight bout, and the long awaited promotional debut of Cris Cyborg.
A record-setting 45,207 spectators filled the Arena da Baixada and witnessed the heavyweight belt change hands in the fight card’s main event.
Stipe Miocic silenced the sold out crowd when he landed a counter right hand that knocked out Fabricio Werdum to become the new heavyweight champion. The Brazilian rushed in with a flurry of punches and walked into the right hand that left him laying face-first on the canvas.
RELATED > UFC 198: Werdum vs. Miocic Full Results and Fight Stats
Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza made a statement in the co-main event by dominating third-ranked middleweight Vitor Belfort. Souza was able to put the former light heavyweight champion on his back and battered “The Phenom” with punches. After finishing Belfort via strikes, Souza called for a title shot against the UFC 199 winner between champion Luke Rockhold and former titleholder Chris Weidman.
Former Strikeforce women’s featherweight champion and current Invicta 145-pound titleholder Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino made her UFC debut on the event’s main card against the always game Leslie Smith. In true Cyborg-fashion, Justino dropped Smith with a right hand and finished her seconds later with an onslaught of punches.
UFC 198 was the first time this year that the UFC hosted an event in Brazil.
