Werdum projects a path for rematches and sees Arlovski as his next rival

F. Werdum (photo) won the belt on June 13th, in Mexico. Photo: Josh Hedges/UFC

After winning the heavyweight belt, the Brazilian Fabricio Werdum believes that its future may be in the past. Did not understand? “Vai Cavalo”, as he is known, predicted that his path from now on will be marked by rematches against his former opponents, with the Belarusian Andrei Arlovski as the favorite for his first challenge.

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“It’s Arlovski now, Cigano later and then Velasquez again. I would like to fight Arlovski because it was a close fight, a split decision in an ugly fight that nobody liked. Besides, I think I won. Arlovski would be a good idea. After that, the Gypsy. But I want to go step by step. Next is Arlovski and then Cigano. I already had a rematch against Minotauro, I did well and won, now I want a rematch against Arlovski. Cigano would also be cool, but I'm going to focus on Arlovski because he's a former UFC champion and this fight would sell well”, said Werdum, in an interview with the North American website “MMA Fighting”.

After placing Cain Velaquez, who he beat at UFC 188 in June, in third place in line for the title, Werdum explained why he even offered an immediate rematch to the former champion, but changed his mind shortly afterwards. “I talked about an immediate rematch against Velasquez out of respect for him. He was a great champion and did a lot for the sport, so I was being respectful. But then I thought about the matter, the way the fight happened… When it's a close fight, when there's doubt, or it's a quick finish, you do an immediate rematch. But I did everything I was planning and still caught him in a guillotine. People have seen that there is no need for a rematch now,” he concluded.

Fabricio Werdum, 37 years old, has a professional record of 20 wins, five losses and one draw. The new UFC heavyweight champion and sixth place in the weight-for-pound ranking of the largest MMA organization on the planet, Werdum is undefeated since making his debut in the Octagon in 2012, and since then he has won less than six consecutive victories, the most their recent about Cain Velazquez at UFC 188, in Mexico. After the duel, “Vai Cavalo” received a six-month medical suspension and should only be able to return to the ring at the end of this year.