Following an impressive return to the Octagon last weekend at UFC 143, Fabricio Werdum is now eyeing a top contender for his next bout.
The Brazilian’s performance against Roy Nelson was one of the best showings of his career, as he looked to have improved on some of the weaker areas of his game—especially his striking—as he picked his shots and landed multiple knees to his opponent.
The win has now improved Werdum’s UFC record to 3-2 and could potentially put him near the upper echelon of the heavyweight division. As far as a future opponent for “Vai Cavalo,” he didn’t want to drop any name in particular, but he said he would consider a bout with Frank Mir.
“Anybody, I’m prepared to fight anybody. I’ve never picked out opponents my entire life,” Werdum told TATAME.com. “If it’s Frank Mir, excellent. If it’s not, it’s ok. I just wanna show I’m in the top 10 of the division.”
And Werdum feels there’s no other place than to solidify his presence in his homeland of Brazil.
“I hope I can fight in June in Brazil,” he said. “God bless me, UFC will give me the chance to bring this joy to people in Brazil.”
Werdum’s return to the UFC made up for his past performances that saw him record victories over such fighters like Brandon Vera and Gabriel Gonzaga, but it was his knockout loss to current UFC heavyweight champion, Junior dos Santos, that ended his tenure in the company.
The loss certainly left a bad taste in his mouth and it has motivated Werdum to challenge for a title shot within the next year.
“I have to fight Cigano again. When he got here, people didn’t know him in the UFC and I took that fight,” he said. “When UFC offers me this fight, in three, four fights from now, I hope he accepts it.”
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