Credit Graciemag.com
Back on the list of the greatest challengers to the UFC heavyweight title, now belonging to Rodrigo Minotauro, is Fabricio Werdum who has his next appointment in the octagon scheduled on his way to the coveted belt. The Chute Boxe black belt’s adversary will be Brandon Vera, a striker with nine MMA fights and but a single loss, to towering Tim Sylvia at UFC 77.
On the list of Vera’s triumphs his knockouts of Frank Mir and Brazilian Fabiano Pega-Leve can be included. The bout will take place on June 7th in London at UFC 85, so the Brazilian will have three months to prepare. GRACIEMAG.com spoke with the two-time Jiu-Jitsu world champion about his hopes for the fight, Brandon Vera and training.
GRACIEMAG.com: How has your break after the fight with Napao been?
Werdum: I spend a month in Spain with my family teaching a lot of seminars and assisting some of my students. I’m in Porto Alegre now where we are setting up a new Chute Boxe training center, which should be inaugurated on March 13th. However, I will be doing my training for the fight in Curitiba and in the future we will do an exchange between the two academies.
GRACIEMAG.com: And what about the fight with Brandon Vera, is it a done deal? What do you know about his game?
Werdum: It’s 100% confirmed. I accepted the fight right off the bat and I think it was well matched. It will be a good fight, it won’t stop, anything can happen. He’s a tough guy who’s going after his. He’s big and fast, a tall striker, he’s 1.88meters, and good with his knees, he’s also a Jiu-Jitsu brown belt and has gotten the submission in several fights.
GRACIEMAG.com: When will you be returning to heavy training? Have you talked to the team to lay out a strategy for the fight?
Werdum: I’ll go back to heavy training and see about my plan on Monday. I have three months to get ready. I’ll prepare myself a lot better for this fight, like never before. I want to be ready for anything.
GRACIEMAG.com: Do you think it’s already about time to fight for the title or do you think it’s best not rush things?
Werdum: After the fight with Napao, Dana White said I’d returned to the top 5 and that maybe I would get a shot at the title, but it wasn’t for sure. I already thought before I’d have to fight one more time. I think everything is happening at the right time, I don’t want to do anything prematurely. I don’t have the right to now because I lost to Arlovsky; if I’d won it would be another story. I have two more appearances on my UFC contract, I want to do this one and then fight for the belt.
GRACIEMAG.com: Would you like to face Minotauro for the belt? What did you think of his fight with Tim Sylvia?
Werdum: I was sure that Minotauro would submit him, but I knew it wouldn’t be easy. He’s really good, is always ahead of his adversary, thinking about the future. He surely practiced that move a lot. I’d like to fight him, to get a revenge match. I always modeled myself on him, but at the time we fought, I was not well, my Master Mauricao had just passed away.
