Werdum (center) after meeting with the UFC about his next fight. Photo: Instagram/Reproduction
Confirmation that Cain Velazquez he even underwent shoulder surgery and the consequent postponement of the champion's return to the octagon caused Ultimate to change its plans for Fabricio Werdum. The Brazilian, who had already been guaranteed as the next challenger for the heavyweight belt, must now have another commitment ahead of him before fighting for the title. According to the North American TV program “FOX Sports Live”, in a meeting held with the UFC's top management on Wednesday night (11), Werdum was offered a fight against the winner of the duel between Josh Barnett and Travis Browne .
Browne and Barnett will face each other on December 28th, at UFC 168, the same event in which Anderson Silva has his revenge against Chris Weidman for the middleweight belt. Currently, the fighters are, respectively, in fifth and sixth position in the organization's rankings. The possible confrontation of the winner of the fight against Werdum could represent a frustration for Junior Gypsy, who recently stated that he hoped to have Travis or Josh as his next opponents.
At 36, Fabricio Werdum has a record of 17 wins, five defeats and a draw. In 2010, the gaucho completed the legend Fedor Emelianenko and was responsible for interrupting an undefeated streak that had lasted almost a decade for the Russian. Since returning to the UFC in 2012, Werdum has won all three of his fights. In his last fight, “Vai Cavalo”, as he is known, beat Rodrigo Minotauro in the TUF Brasil 2 coaches' duel.
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