Another weekend of fisticuffs has come and gone as UFC on FOX 11 blew the roof off the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida.
Plenty of fighters were left licking their wounds, including Edson Barboza, who was submitted by Donald Cerrone in the very first round in a wild and entertaining scrap (video). And Liz Carmouche, who suffered her second straight loss, this time at the hands of Miesha Tate (highlights).
But which fighter is suffering from the worst post-fight hangover, now 48 hours removed from the show?
Travis Browne.
The Hawaii-born fighter looked to nab his fourth consecutive win and earn his first-ever Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heavyweight title fight by defeating Fabricio Werdum in the televised headliner.
Unfortunately for "Hapa," Werdum was looking to do the same after reeling off three consecutive wins of his own.
And "Vai Cavalo" did what he set out to do, by doing what Browne does best, and that's win the stand-up battle. Yes, Werdum, the highly-decorated jiu-jitsu black belt, dominated the striking aspect of the fight (relive it here) against a man with the reputation of laying out the best of them with his hands.
For five rounds, Werdum picked "Hapa" apart, displaying an improved stand-up game that hasn't exactly been a secret since making his way back to the Octagon, as "Vai Cavalo" has shown that his striking is no longer his second option in a fight.
Thanks, Rafael Cordeiro.
In fact, the Brazilian bomber showed an overall improved mixed martial arts (MMA) game by dominating the grappling department as well, becoming the first person to take Browne down -- on more than one occasion -- inside the Octagon.
It's Werdum's well-rounded fight game, and visible confidence, that proved to be the difference in a fight that saw "Hapa" suffer a broken hand and busted up rib. Still, despite the injuries, which seemed to have occurred in the very first round, Browne sucked it up and made it through four more rounds, proving that his heart and desire to win is just as big as his wing span.
Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to weather the constant pressure Werdum was dishing out, as "Vai Cavalo" kept coming forward -- despite Dana White's belief -- and tagging Browne at will, even mocking him from time-to-time. In the end, Werdum walked away the unanimous winner and with a date against current heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez later this year.
Lucky him.
As for Browne, he'll be forced to go back to the drawing board, heal from his injuries and start from scratch.
And when he's ready and able, a fight (and win) against the loser of the Junior dos Santos vs. Stipe Miocic 265-pound fight -- which goes down at The Ultimate Fighter Brazil 3 Finale on May 21, 2014 -- would be surefire was to speed up his climb back to title contention.
Unless, of course, you have a better idea?