Following UFC ‘Fight Island’ Win, Who Is Fabricio Werdum Interested In Fighting?

Heading into one of the last “Fight island” events for the UFC for a while, it was known that Fabricio Werdum was looking at all of his options. Looking to be done with the UFC, Werdum is looking forward to the next chapter of his career. Could it be against a familiar foe?

Werdum (24-9-1) beat a returning Alexander Gustafsson this past weekend at UFC on ESPN 14. The former UFC Heavyweight Champion won his fourth fight with the promotion (12th overall) via submission. Following the bout, he showcased emotions rarely seen before.

“The emotion was because this is my last fight in the UFC,” Werdum stated after the fight, via MMA Junkie. “I had many years with the UFC. I don’t know how many I had with the UFC, like 10 years (or) 12 years. You know? I’m a working individual – on Spanish commentaries. I think almost all of my life was here. I love UFC for sure. I want to say thank you to the UFC for many things.

A multi-time jiu-jitsu gold medalist, the 42-year-old made his professional debut in 2002. He competed for PRIDE and Strikeforce, while also having two stints with the UFC. Werdum is 12-6 with the promotion, beating Cain Velasquez for the unified UFC Heavyweight Title in 2015. The Brazilian stated he needs to talk to his manager Ali Abdelaziz regarding a potential return to the UFC.

Werdum stated he won’t stop fighting even if he isn’t with the UFC. Saying his mind is young, Werdum is interested in turning back the clock to fight a Russian legend in Fedor Emelianenko. A PRIDE Heavyweight Champion, Fedor (39-6, 1 NC) lost to Wedum in 2010 via submission while with Strikeforce. It ended a 28-fight unbeaten streak dating back to 2000.

“This is 100 percent (true),” Werdum stated regarding an interest in Fedor. “I want to fight with Fedor, 100 percent. I respect him a lot. I want to give this opportunity to him to fight with me again. This has history: Me vs. Fedor in 2010. Ten years later, everybody wants to see this fight. I don’t know where, but for sure I want to fight with Fedor because I respect him. In my mind, he is the best in the world.”

Fedor made his debut in May 2000. After losing to Werdum, “The Last Emperor” lost two more fights before going on a five-fight win streak. He joined Bellator in 2017 and is 3-2 with the promotion. After losing to Ryan Bader in the finals of the Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix, Fedor beat Quinton Jackson back in December at Bellator 237.

As of now, Werdum has not decided on his next official move.