J. Cigano (left) has already beaten F. Werdum (right) (PHOTO: Josh Hedges/Getty Images)
Fabricio Werdum broke the silence on the controversy with junior gypsy and criticized the fact that the UFC gave his compatriot a title shot. He also denied having been “afraid” of facing his rival, after twice refusing a rematch. The first duel between the two took place in 2008, at UFC 90, when Cigano, then a UFC debutant, knocked out Werdum in the first round.
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“I imagined that I would get the title shot after the fight with Velásquez fell through. I'm first in the ranking and Cain is second. Cigano is coming off a victory, but hasn't fought in a while. If his fight with Miocic is confirmed, there's nothing I can do. I’ll just ask to fight on the same day,” commented Werdum, to the North American website MMA Junkie, highlighting that he is not afraid of his rival.
“It confuses me when fans say I was scared of Cigano. There is no such thing. I've been fighting for 20 years. If I had run from him, I wouldn't even have this job. I do this because I like it. I've fought the best in the world, why would I be afraid of Cigano? I don't need to fight, I'm not desperate, I already have an established life. I’m in another phase of my life,” he highlighted.
The rival's provocations also did not go down well with Werdum. The heavyweight assured that his jokes towards his compatriot were only in response to what Cigano said in interviews and on social media. For “Vai Cavalo”, Dos Santos is trying to become the Conor McGregor Brazilian.
“When Cigano was more discreet, people liked him more. Now I see on social media that he has changed a lot, he wants to become the Brazilian McGregor. He wants to be someone he is not. I'm not his friend, but I see that this is not his place. He wants to be the talker, provoke and that happened to me too when he was inexperienced,” he said.
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