(This story appears in today’s edition of USA TODAY .) These days, UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez doesn’t even need to leave his house to make his presence felt. He does it in absentia, whenever two heavyweights vie for the top contender spot, and he does it without even trying. Just look at how the specter of the champ loomed over Saturday night’s UFC on Fox 11 main event in Orlando, Fla., where Fabricio Werdum (18-5-1 MMA, 6-2 UFC) battered and belittled Travis Browne (16-2-1 MMA, 7-2-1 UFC) en route to a unanimous decision victory that cemented Werdum as the next challenger for Velasquez’s title. It was an impressive win for Werdum, but also one that raised new questions even as it answered old ones
Continue reading here:
Even with Fabricio Werdum’s win, UFC champ Cain Velasquez’s presence looms large – MMA Junkie