Out of sight is apparently out of mind in the case of Fabricio Werdum.
With the UFC heavyweight division taking center stage as of late, the spotlight has been steady on the race for title contention. At UFC 160 this past weekend in Las Vegas, four of the promotion’s top heavyweights stepped into the Octagon to sort out business in the divisional upper-tier, as Cain Velasquez put his title on the line against Antonio Silva and former champion Junior dos Santos battled Mark Hunt to determine who would earn the right to become the number one contender.
When the smoke cleared at the MGM, Velasquez exited the cage with his title in tact, and “JDS” wheel-kicked his way to another championship opportunity. At the post-fight press conference, UFC President Dana White set the stage for a trilogy bout between Velasquez and dos Santos for later this year, calling the matchup a “no brainer.”
While a third bout between the UFC’s two premier heavyweights makes sense in the grand scheme of things, it seems Werdum—one of the division’s best fighters—was never factored into the equation.
The 35-year-old Brazilian has been crisp since rejoining the UFC fold, as he’s picked up consecutive wins over solid competition. His most recent victory over Mike Russow at UFC 147 made Werdum successful in five of his last six outings, which has included wins over Antonio Silva, Roy Nelson and a fighter once regarded as the greatest heavyweight on the planet in Fedor Emelianenko.
With that type of momentum, it seems strange Werdum’s name isn’t topping the list of potential contenders.
Then again, maybe not.
When the former Pride and Strikeforce veteran steps into the cage to face Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira on June 8 at UFC on Fuel TV 10, it will be just north of a year since the last time he entered the Octagon. The two heavyweights had opposing coaching roles on the second installment of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil, with their main event showdown serving as the conclusion to the season.
The decision to accept the coaching role and the subsequent bout with “Big Nog” took Werdum out of the divisional picture for nearly a year, and it seems the division has moved on without him—at least for the time being.
In the time Werdum has been wrapped up in the bout with Nogueira, the heavyweight title has changed hands and multiple top contenders have fallen by the wayside. But even with that being the case, the Rafael Cordero-trained fighter has remained in divisional limbo due in large part to his coaching commitments on TUF: Brazil.
Had Werdum declined the coaching position, it wouldn’t be a stretch to assume he could have competed in at least two bouts, possibly three, since his victory over Russow. And with the current state of the heavyweight division being top-heavy, a successful run would have all but guaranteed Werdum a title shot.
The harsh reality of the situation has him standing on the outside of that particular picture. With his upcoming bout against Nogueira coming three weeks after Velasquez’s successful defense at UFC 160, the time frame would have been perfect if he were to defeat the former UFC champion. But with White giving the nod to dos Santos, the road to a future title shot suddenly became much more difficult.
Should Werdum earn the victory over Nogueira in Fortaleza, Brazil next Saturday, he will still be at least one fight away from a title opportunity. With Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix winner Daniel Cormier currently sitting idle without an opponent, a future matchup with the former Olympian is certainly a possibility.
In addition to “D.C.,” a collection of other top heavyweights will all see action in the coming weeks. Alistair Overeem is set to square-off with Travis Browne at UFC on Fox Sports 1, and former champion Frank Mir will welcome Josh Barnett into the UFC fold at UFC 164. Both of those tilts will come in August, with the victors moving on to the title shot radar.
If he is successful in his bout against Stipe Miocic in three weeks at UFC 161, former Werdum opponent Roy Nelson could also put himself into title consideration.
Regardless of how those fights play out, the upper-tier of the heavyweight division will soon become much more crowded, and the window of opportunity for Werdum will narrow. While he is undoubtedly one of the top heavyweight fighters in mixed martial arts, it is starting to look as if timing is simply not on his side in this matter.
Then again, with the way UFC title shots have been decided in 2013, Werdum could certainly be sitting in the ideal position to get a championship opportunity.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com