Either one of two things will happen Saturday night when the dust settles at UFC 188. One, UFC Heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez wins and still becomes the reigning, defending, undisputed champion for three years in a row. Or two, Fabricio Werdum pulls an upset in front of Velasquez's home crowd and upgrades his belt's interim status to full champion status. Either way, the Heavyweight Title will be unified in Mexico City.

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After 602 days of being out of commission due to a myriad of injuries, chief among them, a ruptured MCL that required surgery as per MMA Fighting.Com, Velasquez will finally step into the Octagon to defend his title against Werdum seven months after the two were originally scheduled to fight at UFC 180 last November. The champion's last fight prior to Saturday's main event was in October 2013 when he successfully defended his belt and handed out a masterful demolition of former heavyweight kingpin Junior dos Santos.

The fight last November was supposed to be the culmination of UFC's "The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America" reality series where they coached Bantamweights and Featherweights opposite each other. Instead, Velasquez was replaced by "Super Samoan" Mark Hunt. Werdum capitalized on the late-replacement and decimated Hunt with a flying knee that won him an interim belt.

Overall, Werdum's world-class jiu jitsu, dangerous ground game, sharp Muay Thai kicks, and his exponentially improved striking all present real and formidable threats to Velasquez. The interim title holder has won eight of his last nine, with a victim's list that included contenders Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva, Roy "Big Country" Nelson, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Travis Browne, and the previously "unbeatable" Fedor Emelianenko, according to Sherdog fight metrics.

Velasquez may have looked unstoppable at times, but analysts at MMA Junkie are saying the long layoff and the injuries may ultimately affect his performance. Even UFC president Dana White took note of the champ's seemingly risky and injury-prone training camps with American Kickboxing Academy (AKA), calling it a "stone age gym" according to MMA Mania.Com.

Still, Velasquez insists he draws strength from his "stone age" training. He believes AKA has developed in him the key skills and ingredients needed to beat Werdum, namely, his unlimited gas tank, his world-class wrestling and takedowns, and his manic and stifling fighting pace that is unparalleled in the heavyweight division.

In a few hours, we'll see who among these fighters will be able to claim stake at the heavyweight title and cement their legacy as the "Baddest Man on the Planet."

TagsUFC, UFC 188, Cain Velasquez, Fabricio Werdum, Mark Hunt, junior dos santos, Antonio Silva, antonio rodrigo nogueira, Roy Nelson, Travis Browne, fedor emelianenko, dana white