Fabricio Werdum: I deserve the next title shot because ‘I have a history’

Fabricio Werdum feels his career credentials are enough to warrant him the next heavyweight title shot. Apart from being a former UFC heavyweight champion, Fabricio Werdum’s resume is actually impressive. Throughout his 15-year professional…

Fabricio Werdum feels his career credentials are enough to warrant him the next heavyweight title shot.

Apart from being a former UFC heavyweight champion, Fabricio Werdum’s resume is actually impressive. Throughout his 15-year professional MMA run alone, he has fought and beaten the likes of Fedor Emelianenko, Alistair Overeem, and Cain Velasquez, among many other formidable fighters and former champions.

At 40 years of age, Werdum wants another shot at UFC gold. And not just because of his win over Marcin Tybura in Sydney over the weekend, but also because of the legacy he has so far built.

“I feel for sure I deserve it,” Werdum told MMAjunkie in a post-fight interview. “It’s not just now for this fight and my last fight. I’ve beat a lot of guys – Fedor Emelianenko, Cain Velasquez, Minotauro (Nogueira). I have a history. For 20 years I’ve been fighting. Not just now. I have two belts in my home. Only one fighter in the world is a jiu-jitsu champion, a submission champion and a UFC champion. It’s me.”

“I don’t like when I say that, but I know this is true for sure. Given the opportunity, I just want to show again. One more belt on my wall at home, I will stop after that. No, no, I’m joking.”

Even at his age, Werdum feels he still has a lot left in the tank, and he aims to prove it through another opportunity to fight for the title.

“I want to fight more. Long time ago I’ve been waiting one year for a fight,” Werdum said. “Why am I waiting like six months, seven months? I want to fight more. I want to fight maybe five times a year.”

“This fight Alistair Overeem vs. Francis Ngannou, I don’t think Francis deserves it yet because he just started (MMA) now. Overeem has a big history, too, but I think I deserve the title shot. I just want the opportunity.”

Overeem and Ngannou will face each other at UFC 218 on December 2nd in Detroit.