Werdum KOs Hunt in UFC 180 main

Top Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight contender Fabricio Werdum retained his spot in the rankings with a devastating knockout of Mark Hunt in the main event of UFC 180 on Saturday night in Mexico City.

He also got a belt wrapped around his waist for his efforts.

Werdum won the UFC interim heavyweight title when he dropped Hunt with a flying knee and finished him off with a series of punches midway through the second round.

The main event was supposed to pit Werdum against heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez, but Velasquez injured his knee and was forced to pull out of the fight last month.

Now Werdum will wait for Velasquez to return.

“Next for me is Cain when he is healthy,” Werdum said. “I would love to do that fight right here in Mexico again or perhaps my home country of Brazil.”

Hunt had hurt Werdum with punches on several occasions and knocked him down twice early in the fight, but couldn’t capitalize.

“I’m very happy,” Werdum said. “I know he’s very strong, and he punched me very hard, but I’ve been waiting for this moment.”

Hunt took the fight on less than a month’s notice. He was moving toward Werdum and leaning forward when the knee connected.

“It’s the ones you don’t see,” Hunt said. “I didn’t see that one, and it got me.”

Velasquez has not competed since October 2013 with first a shoulder injury and now the knee. Hunt said Saturday’s result just maintained order in the division.

“Fabricio is a good man, and he got a good win tonight,” Hunt said. “It was always going to be him versus Cain, so now that path continues. I had my shot. Now it’s time to get back home.”

Also on the card, Kelvin Gastelum and Ricardo Lamas picked up first-round submission victories.

Gastelum remained undefeated with a rear-naked choke victory late in the first round of a welterweight bout against Jake Ellenberger.

Gastelum, the Season 17 winner of “The Ultimate Fighter,” is the son of Mexican immigrants. He was born in San Jose, Calif., and grew up in Yuma, Ariz., but was excited to compete on the UFC’s first card in Mexico, which drew a sellout crowd of 21,000.

“To win the hardest fight in my life in my country mean everything to me,” he said. “I felt incredible to listen to all the fans support me. It was an amazing night.”

Ellenberger, once a top contender in the division, dropped his third straight fight.

“I’m speechless,” he said. “It’s hard to talk about it.”

Lamas, who unsuccessfully challenged Jose Aldo for the featherweight title in February, locked in a guillotine choke to snap Dennis Bermudez’s seven-fight winning streak.

“I’d like a date with Jose Aldo again, and this win makes it clear I’m not going away,” Lamas said.

BELLATOR CARD — Former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz won a split decision over Las Vegan Stephan Bonnar in the main event of a Bellator Fighting Championships card Saturday night in San Diego.

Interim lightweight champion Will Brooks became the undisputed champ with a fourth-round knockout of Las Vegan Michael Chandler. Eddie Alvarez vacated the belt to sign with the UFC.

Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509. Follow him on Twitter: @adamhilllvrj.