PFL signs Fabricio Werdum

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The Pro Fighters League announced the capture of former UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Wedum. The Professional Fighters League (PFL) has added a former UFC heavyweight champion to its rost…

UFC Fight Night: Whittaker v Till

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The Pro Fighters League announced the capture of former UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Wedum.

The Professional Fighters League (PFL) has added a former UFC heavyweight champion to its roster. The promotion announced, via twitter, today that it had signed Fabricio Wedum.

In their tweet the PFL described their recent capture as ‘MMA Heavyweight GOAT’.

Werdum, 43, has a pro record of 24-9 with notable wins over Fedor Emelianenko, Cain Velasquez, Mark Hunt and Alistair Overeem.

After appearances with Jungle Fight the Brazilian signed for Pride in 2005. After going 4-2 in Japan, Werdum moved over to the UFC in 2007. His Octagon debut was at UFC 70. There he lost a decision to former heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski.

After that bout Werdum scored back-to-back KOs of Gabriel Gonzaga and Brandon Vera before being knocked out himself by Junior dos Santos. Werdum left the UFC after that bout and signed for the rival Strikeforce organization.

In Strikeforce Werdum bested Mike Kyle and Antonio Silva to set up his historic fight with Emelianenko at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Werdum on June 26, 2010.

Despite being a massive underdog against ‘The Last Emperor’ Werdum was able to tap out the Russian with what has became one of the most memorable triangle chokes in the MMA history. That sub handed Emlianenko his first loss in six years and broke an undefeated streak of 28 fights.

Werdum re-signed with the UFC two years later. This run in the company started with a six fight winning streak that saw Werdum capture the company’s heavyweight title after he beat Cain Velasquez with a guillotine at UFC 188 in 2015.

Werdum would lose the title in his first defense, to current champ Stipe Miocic. Since losing to Miocic Werdum went 4-3 and served a lengthy suspension for a failed USADA test. His last fight was a win over Alexander Gustafsson on Fight Island this July.

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic the PFL canceled their third season, which was scheduled for the autumn of 2020. The promotion is expected to return in 2021.