Strikeforce heavyweight, and former UFC fighter, Fabricio Werdum (14-4-1) will make the first step in his quest to be crowned the Worlds best heavyweight when he meets Alistair Overeem on June 18. Both men are taking part in the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Tournament, with the winner moving on to the semifinals where Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva waits.
Werdum scored one of the biggest wins of his career in his last fight, winning a quick first round submission over mma legend Fedor Emelianenko in June of last year. The win has given Werdum confidence that he feels will help him win the Strikeforce tournament, and eventually unite the Strikeforce title with the UFC title in the near future.
Speaking to Graciemag.com, Werdum said he’ll approach UFC President Dana White about unifying the belts once he’s won the Strikeforce heavyweight title.
“I feel confident – just like my last fight against Fedor.”
“I fought Fedor last June and won and now I’m fighting in June again and am going to win again,” he says, “June is my month! I have the same feeling as before, I have the same training camp, the same guys, and the same energy…”
“Everyone told me it wasn’t possible,” he says, “But it’s what I’ve wanted. Everyone said that Strikeforce and UFC were two different shows so it wouldn’t happen, but now with the Strikeforce UFC deal, it’s possible. When I win the Strikeforce heavy weight belt, I’m going to ask Dana (White) if I can try for the unification belt.”