Fabricio Werdum is in his second stint with the UFC, but he has never headlined a fight card for the promotion. That will change on June 8 when he steps into the Octagon to meet Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in the main event of UFC on Fuel 10.
Werdum’s first run with the UFC lasted four fights. During that span the world champion in Brazilian jiu-jitsu went 2-2. His wins came over Gabriel Gonzaga and Brandon Vera and his losses came against Andrei Arlovski and Junior dos Santos.
Following the loss to Dos Santos, Werdum was released from the promotion, a fact that did not sit well with him. Werdum told Porto Do Vale Tudo, via MiddleEasy.com, h/t PVT Magazine: “They kind of used me and threw me out. That UFC business is complicated. It’s tough to swallow that they would terminate your contract after two nice wins just because you lost the last one, regardless of how it happened.”
Since re-joining the promotion, Werdum has defeated Roy Nelson and Mike Russow and finds himself as the No. 3 fighter in the UFC heavyweight division heading into his matchup with Nogueira.
The bout between Werdum and Nogueira will mark the second time the two have met. In the first matchup, which took place in 2006 with Pride, Nogueira earned the unanimous decision victory. It will be interesting to see what a difference almost seven years makes for both fighters.
As a bit of a preview for the upcoming UFC on Fuel 10 fight card, take a look at Werdum’s win over Brandon Vera at UFC 85.
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