Werdum is focused on the heavyweight belt (Photo: Reproduction/Facebook UFC)
Amidst the controversial confusion with the North American Colby covington, Fabricio Werdum is preparing for another challenge in his journey in Ultimate. This Saturday (18), in the main fight of UFC Australia against Marcin tybura, the former heavyweight champion is looking for his second consecutive victory to get even closer to his real objective: to regain the belt of the heaviest division in the world.
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In an exclusive interview to SUPER FIGHTS, the gaucho, current number 2 in the category ranking, guarantees that he does not see anyone ahead of him in a dispute for the chance to face the champion Stipe Miocic, not even alistair overeem, who defeated him in July this year, or Francis Ngannou, packed with five consecutive triumphs.
“I don’t see Overeem or Francis in front of me. I think I'm showing more service, I'm fighting several times. After this fight I already deserve it (to fight for the belt). In fact, I already deserved it before, but if the UFC hasn't announced it yet, I'll have to show in practice that I deserve it. I want my new opportunity for the belt, I'm sure I have the capacity to be champion again. I've been twice: against the Mark Hunt and against the Cain Velazquez, regardless of whether it is interim or not, it doesn't matter. I know I have the ability to be the champion again. And I will be”, declared the fighter.
Coming from a quick finish against Walt Harris at UFC 216, last October, when he needed just a minute to lock in the armbar, Werdum will face for the second time an athlete little known to the general public. However, the fact that the Polish Tybura flies under the radar does not make the Brazilian less prepared for the duel.
“Tybura is a very complete fighter. He has a good left kick, puts it down very well, plays well on top, is very heavy... he's a complete guy. You have to be very careful, I can't underestimate Tybura – nor any other fighter. He's not a well-known guy, but he's completely dangerous. He fights in the UFC, he only lost once in the UFC, so I have to be careful and fight well to continue moving towards my main objective in the UFC, which is to regain the belt”, repeated Fabrício, who explained that the fact that he went to Sydney, Australia, more than 15 days in advance is part of the preparation for combat.
“I came before because I already had this experience the two times I was champion, I went to Mexico two months before and it went very well. It's always good to have time to get used to it. Australia is very far away, the time zone is very large, there are several factors, so I preferred (to come earlier). We always do this, actually. I come a little earlier, it helps with adaptation, getting a feel for the city, feeling the weather… so I don’t have any problems later. We already have many years of experience, and the best was in Mexico. And I'll tell you that I found Australia impressive, it's really cool”, said the heavyweight.
For the first time since 2008, when he made his first appearance in the UFC, Werdum will act three times in the space of just 12 months. The change in career plan is due in particular to two factors: his advanced age and the desire to regain the belt that was once his.
“I'm 40 years old, I want to fight more often. Many times I waited for a long time… seven months, a year. But I think there's no reason to wait, it's something we like to do, we like to be fighting. If I could be fighting every weekend, I would. I have no problem fighting multiple times. I think it's even better to amend the camp, sometimes I spend a lot of time from one fight to the next, a lot of rest, which is not good. I prefer to fight more. Nothing changed in my preparation, I stayed the same, I just took a break from one fight to another like I always do. I went on vacation with my family for a week and it was great, I got my energy back. Afterwards, I returned to normal training with Cobrinha in the jiu-jitsu part, with (Renato) Babalu and Mark Munoz on the wrestling side, with master Rafael Cordeiro at Kings MMA. Practically nothing changed, just the strategy (for the fight)”, assured Vai Cavalo, who ruled out any possibility of retirement in the near future.
“I don’t think about retirement. The most important thing is to have a good head, I don't think I'm 40 years old. I feel really good, I've never had any injuries to my body, my head feels great, which is the most important thing, right? And it's very important to have this combination between body and mind, so I feel really good. I don't think about whether I'll fight for another three, four or five years, I can't tell you exactly. I will be fighting as long as my body responds well. And it's like I said before, I want to fight as many times as possible, because that's what I like to do”, he concluded.
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