# UFC 198
**UFC 198: Werdum vs. Miocic** was a mixed martial arts event held by the [Ultimate Fighting Championship](https://www.edgepedia.org/ultimate-fighting-championship) on May 14, 2016, at Arena da Baixada, a soccer stadium in Curitiba, Brazil. In the main event, heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum made the first defense of his undisputed title against the American challenger [Stipe Miocic](https://www.edgepedia.org/stipe-miocic), who won the championship by first-round knockout.[1](https://www.ufc.com/event/ufc-198) • [2](https://www.ufc.com/news/miocic-kos-werdum-becomes-new-heavyweight-champ)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Date and venue | Saturday, May 14, 2016, Arena da Baixada, Curitiba, Brazil; main card on pay-per-view[1](https://www.ufc.com/event/ufc-198) • [3](https://www.mmafighting.com/2016/5/15/11677610/ufc-198-bonuses-stipe-miocic-cashes-50000-for-one-punch-ko-of) |
| Main event | Heavyweight title bout: Fabricio Werdum vs. Stipe Miocic[1](https://www.ufc.com/event/ufc-198) |
| Result | Miocic won by KO/TKO at 2:47 of round 1, becoming UFC heavyweight champion[1](https://www.ufc.com/event/ufc-198) • [2](https://www.ufc.com/news/miocic-kos-werdum-becomes-new-heavyweight-champ) |
| Records after the fight | Miocic 15-2; Werdum 20-6-1 after his first title defense[2](https://www.ufc.com/news/miocic-kos-werdum-becomes-new-heavyweight-champ) |
| Attendance | An estimated 45,000 fans, the third-largest crowd in company history at the time[4](https://www.mmafighting.com/2016/5/15/11677478/ufc-198-results-stipe-miocic-knocks-out-fabricio-werdum-claims) |
| Post-fight bonuses | $50,000 each: Miocic and Ronaldo Souza (Performance of the Night), Francisco Trinaldo vs. Yancy Medeiros (Fight of the Night)[3](https://www.mmafighting.com/2016/5/15/11677610/ufc-198-bonuses-stipe-miocic-cashes-50000-for-one-punch-ko-of) |
| Co-main event | Ronaldo Souza defeated Vitor Belfort by first-round KO/TKO at 4:37[1](https://www.ufc.com/event/ufc-198) |
## The main event
Werdum entered his first title defense on a six-fight win streak that included submissions of former champion [Cain Velasquez](https://www.edgepedia.org/cain-velasquez), Minotauro Nogueira, and [Fedor Emelianenko](https://www.edgepedia.org/fedor-emelianenko), a record that had led UFC coverage to describe him as arguably the greatest heavyweight and the division's greatest submission fighter.[4](https://www.mmafighting.com/2016/5/15/11677478/ufc-198-results-stipe-miocic-knocks-out-fabricio-werdum-claims) • [5](https://www.ufc.com/news/breaking-down-ufc-198s-big-title-clash) Miocic, the No. 1 contender from Cleveland, Ohio, came in at 14-2.[6](https://us.ufcespanol.com/news/reasons-watch-ufc-198)
The fight lasted less than three minutes. After roughly two minutes of feeling each other out, Miocic was backpedaling when Werdum charged forward aggressively and ran into a looping right hand that caught him flush on the jaw; Werdum fell to the mat and referee Dan Miragliotta waved the bout off at the 2:47 mark of the opening round.[4](https://www.mmafighting.com/2016/5/15/11677478/ufc-198-results-stipe-miocic-knocks-out-fabricio-werdum-claims) • [2](https://www.ufc.com/news/miocic-kos-werdum-becomes-new-heavyweight-champ) Miocic described the finish simply: "He hit me, and I knocked him out. I hit him with a right hand and that was it."[4](https://www.mmafighting.com/2016/5/15/11677478/ufc-198-results-stipe-miocic-knocks-out-fabricio-werdum-claims)
With the win, the 33-year-old Miocic improved to 15-2 and became the 15th UFC champion in history; Werdum, 38, fell to 20-6-1.[2](https://www.ufc.com/news/miocic-kos-werdum-becomes-new-heavyweight-champ) • [7](https://www.ufc.com/news/ufc-198-werdum-vs-miocic-final-results) Miocic celebrated by hopping the cage toward his cornermen and calling out to his championship-starved hometown: "Cleveland, we've got a champion."[4](https://www.mmafighting.com/2016/5/15/11677478/ufc-198-results-stipe-miocic-knocks-out-fabricio-werdum-claims) • [2](https://www.ufc.com/news/miocic-kos-werdum-becomes-new-heavyweight-champ) Werdum said he would return and be champion again.[4](https://www.mmafighting.com/2016/5/15/11677478/ufc-198-results-stipe-miocic-knocks-out-fabricio-werdum-claims)
## Scale and setting
The event was staged in the stadium where Spain had beaten Australia 3-0 at the 2014 [FIFA World Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/fifa-world-cup), and it was promoted as the first MMA event in a Brazilian soccer stadium, in the country where the sport grew out of vale tudo.[8](https://as.com/us/us/2016/05/12/masdeporte/1463075276_405701.html) Around 45,000 tickets were sold, surpassing the Arena da Baixada's previous attendance record of 39,375 set at that 2014 World Cup match, and the crowd was reported as the third-largest in UFC history at the time.[9](https://as.com/us/us/2016/05/13/masdeporte/1463165216_978697.html) • [4](https://www.mmafighting.com/2016/5/15/11677478/ufc-198-results-stipe-miocic-knocks-out-fabricio-werdum-claims) Demand in Curitiba was heavy enough that hotels were full and local taxi and ride-hailing fares rose sharply in the days before the event.[9](https://as.com/us/us/2016/05/13/masdeporte/1463165216_978697.html)
## Rest of the card
**Co-main event.** Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza dominated fellow Brazilian Vitor Belfort and stopped him by TKO in the first round at 4:37, a result that positioned Souza for the next middleweight title shot against the winner of the [Luke Rockhold](https://www.edgepedia.org/luke-rockhold) and [Chris Weidman](https://www.edgepedia.org/chris-weidman) rematch at [UFC 199](https://www.edgepedia.org/ufc-199).[1](https://www.ufc.com/event/ufc-198) • [3](https://www.mmafighting.com/2016/5/15/11677610/ufc-198-bonuses-stipe-miocic-cashes-50000-for-one-punch-ko-of)
**Hometown decision.** Former light heavyweight champion Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, fighting in his hometown, nearly finished Corey Anderson with a left hand late in the first round and dropped him again at the end of the second. Two 29-28 scorecards gave Rua a split decision that MMA Fighting described as questionable; it was his first back-to-back win since 2009.[10](https://www.mmafighting.com/2016/5/14/11677330/ufc-198-results-mauricio-shogun-rua-takes-questionable-call-over)
**Prelims.** Brazilian fighters swept the undercard with six wins and one draw. Highlights included Antonio Rogerio Nogueira knocking out Patrick Cummins 10 seconds before the end of round one, [Demian Maia](https://www.edgepedia.org/demian-maia) submitting Matt Brown with a rear-naked choke late in the third, and [Francisco Trinaldo](https://www.edgepedia.org/francisco-trinaldo) winning a unanimous decision over [Yancy Medeiros](https://www.edgepedia.org/yancy-medeiros) in a back-and-forth bout that earned Fight of the Night.[11](https://as.com/us/us/2016/05/15/masdeporte/1463278485_627287.html) • [3](https://www.mmafighting.com/2016/5/15/11677610/ufc-198-bonuses-stipe-miocic-cashes-50000-for-one-punch-ko-of) Cris Cyborg also made her Octagon debut on the card, winning by stoppage.[2](https://www.ufc.com/news/miocic-kos-werdum-becomes-new-heavyweight-champ)
One notable absence preceded the event: [Anderson Silva](https://www.edgepedia.org/anderson-silva), a product of Curitiba's Chute Boxe academy, withdrew on short notice because of illness.[8](https://as.com/us/us/2016/05/12/masdeporte/1463075276_405701.html)
## Aftermath
For Werdum, the loss snapped a six-fight win streak and ended his reign in his first defense.[4](https://www.mmafighting.com/2016/5/15/11677478/ufc-198-results-stipe-miocic-knocks-out-fabricio-werdum-claims) • [2](https://www.ufc.com/news/miocic-kos-werdum-becomes-new-heavyweight-champ)
## References
1. [UFC 198 | Werdum vs Miocic, UFC.com](https://www.ufc.com/event/ufc-198)
2. [Miocic KOs Werdum; becomes new heavyweight champ, UFC.com](https://www.ufc.com/news/miocic-kos-werdum-becomes-new-heavyweight-champ)
3. [UFC 198 bonuses: Stipe Miocic cashes $50,000 for one-punch KO of Fabricio Werdum, MMA Fighting](https://www.mmafighting.com/2016/5/15/11677610/ufc-198-bonuses-stipe-miocic-cashes-50000-for-one-punch-ko-of)
4. [UFC 198 results: Stipe Miocic knocks out Fabricio Werdum, claims heavyweight title, MMA Fighting](https://www.mmafighting.com/2016/5/15/11677478/ufc-198-results-stipe-miocic-knocks-out-fabricio-werdum-claims)
5. [Breaking down UFC 198's big title clash, UFC.com](https://www.ufc.com/news/breaking-down-ufc-198s-big-title-clash)
6. [Reasons to watch UFC 198, UFC.com](https://us.ufcespanol.com/news/reasons-watch-ufc-198)
7. [UFC 198 Werdum vs Miocic final results, UFC.com](https://www.ufc.com/news/ufc-198-werdum-vs-miocic-final-results)
8. [UFC 198: el MMA regresa a sus orígenes ante 45.000 aficionados, AS USA](https://as.com/us/us/2016/05/12/masdeporte/1463075276_405701.html)
9. [La UFC crece y desafía la supremacía del fútbol en Brasil, AS USA](https://as.com/us/us/2016/05/13/masdeporte/1463165216_978697.html)
10. [UFC 198 results: Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua takes questionable call over Corey Anderson, MMA Fighting](https://www.mmafighting.com/2016/5/14/11677330/ufc-198-results-mauricio-shogun-rua-takes-questionable-call-over)
11. [Así fue el cartel preliminar de la UFC 198, AS USA](https://as.com/us/us/2016/05/15/masdeporte/1463278485_627287.html)
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