What Does Fabricio Werdum Think About A Potential Fedor Emelianenko Fight?

It appears that Fabricio Werdum’s UFC run has come to an end. The former UFC Heavyweight Champion is now looking to create his own journey, one that can lead to the end of his run in MMA.

Werdum (24-9-1) beat a returning Alexander Gustafsson not long ago at UFC on ESPN 14. The last fight under his UFC deal, Werdum would end up thanking the promotion for everything it has done for him. For about a decade, the 43-year-old has entertained millions. What’s he looking forward to now?

“I want to say to the UFC, thank you for many, many years, but now it’s the moment to go to the next step,” Werdum told MMA Fighting. “My next step is superfights. I want to make a superfight, and I have two more years to fight. I’m very excited to fight again.”

Regarding one fight he is interested in, Werdum discussed fighting Fedor Emelianenko in a rematch. A PRIDE Heavyweight Champion, Fedor (39-6, 1 NC) lost to Werdum in 2010 via submission while with Strikeforce. It ended a 28-fight unbeaten streak dating back to 2000.

A multi-time jiu-jitsu gold medalist, Werdum 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.

While he has no ill will towards Fedor, he believes the rematch is a chance to prove it wasn’t a fluke. After all, Werdum was a big underdog for the fight. How does he see the rematch going?

“I respected Fedor for a long time,” Werdum went on to say. “I never said bad things about him, never in my life. I respect him a lot. But I believe the rematch with him, it’s history for the sport. When I beat him in 2010, I shocked the world, and maybe I shock the world again.

“I believe I finish him in the first round again. I’ll finish him quickly again, cause I’m very confident. When I have the training and my mind is OK, I go in there and this is my life. I love fighting. I love to fight every time. Respect first, but I believe I beat him in the first round again.”

Fedor is almost done with his Bellator contract. Before he retires, he stated he would be interested in fighting Werdum again. Scott Coker is willing to negotiate a deal for it to happen but believes it should be with an audience. With the United States not in the picture, Coker is looking at Russia or Japan as future locations for a potential bout.

A RINGS and PRIDE standout, Fedor has been currently fighting for Bellator. His last fight was in December against Quinton Jackson. He would beat him in Japan, the same place where he won the PRIDE Heavyweight Title.

Fedor’s status, and how he is looking to compete against Werdum, are one of the many reasons why Werdum is excited to potentially face him.

“You know why [I’ll fight him again]? Because he said he wanted the rematch, and I loved the idea because I told you, respect with fighters is very important,” Werdum stated. “He never said bad things about me. He never talks too much. He just goes in there to fight. My opinion, he’s the greatest in the world.”

Besides Fedor, Werdum expressed an interest in fighting for ONE Championship and facing Brandon Vera for his ONE Heavyweight Title.