F. Werdum in victory for the UFC. Photo: Reproduction/Facebook @ufc
Former UFC heavyweight champion (up to 120,2 kg), Fabricio Werdum may have said goodbye to professional MMA. After almost 20 years of career, “Vai Cavalo” revealed, in an interview with the website “Ag. Fight”, who should no longer compete in the sport.
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In the interview, Fabricio Werdum pointed out time away from family as one of the main factors in making the decision, which, although not definitive, is very likely. The gaucho returned to live in Brazil after leaving the UFC in 2020, but continued training in the United States to fight in the PFL.
“It's kind of complicated for a fighter to say that after 24 years of fighting. I started at 20 and I'm 44. Even my wife keeps telling me to say that I retired, that I stopped. I say I won't talk. But speaking of MMA, I think it's difficult for me to return because it's an extra dedication, I have to spend two to three months in the United States, I've been living in Brazil for a year and three months”, admitted Werdum.
If on the one hand a return to an MMA fight seems increasingly distant, Fabricio Werdum does not close the door on a boxing challenge or “a proposal from another world”.
“If there was a boxing fight, a super fight, I would fight. Do you have a dedication? There is, but not like in MMA. MMA is very complex, there are several modalities, it takes all day training. It would have to be an out-of-this-world proposal for me to return. In short, I would fight a boxing match, but not MMA”, he revealed.
The last time that Fabricio Werdum came on display in May 2021, when he debuted in the PFL in a controversial fight against his compatriot Renan Problem. On that occasion, Werdum placed a triangle on Renan, who would have “hit”. After “Vai Cavalo” released the blow, the referee did not interrupt and the former UFC champion ended up being knocked out afterwards. The result of the fight was later changed to “No Contest”.
According to Werdum, the controversial fight against Renan Problem It was another determining factor in thinking about hanging up the gloves.
“After that controversy happened in the PFL, when (Renan) Ferreira hit, he never said he hit, but we saw that he hit. This demotivated me a lot. Everything I did in my life, staying away from my family, dedicating myself, staying away for months. In this last camp in the United States I felt this a lot. Then there was the controversy, it was 'No Contest'. This demotivated me a lot. I didn't train for a year. After so many years away from my family, why do I have to do all this again? I do not need this. Thanks to my efforts, I became champion and provided a nest egg for the family”, he concluded.
If you actually choose to retire, Fabricio Werdum leaves professional MMA as a former UFC champion and one of the greatest heavyweights in history with a record of 24 wins, nine losses, one draw and one “No Contest”
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