UFC's Fabricio Werdum cares about the belt, not the opponent
UFC heavyweight title challenger Fabricio Werdum (18-5-1) found out early Tuesday evening that the champion Cain Velasquez (13-1) was out of their scheduled Nov. 15 title fight in Mexico City. That, was the (quite) bad news.
The good news, for Werdum, was that he'd still fight for UFC gold. Former K-1 Grand Prix kickboxing world champ Mark Hunt (10-8-1) would replace Velasquez, and he and Werdum would now fight for an interim belt.
The Brazilian - who has been in Mexico preparing for Velasquez for some time already - told Thomas Gerbasi in a recent interview that he's just as primed to fight Hunt as he was to fight the Mexican-American. “The important thing for me is that I’m ready to fight,” Werdum said.
“The object was never Cain Velasquez; it’s always been the belt. Since I got back to the UFC, it’s been about getting the belt and it doesn’t matter from who. I just want the belt and I’m ready to fight anybody. Of course, I’m a little bit sad for Cain and about not fighting him right now, but I’m ready to fight for the belt.”
The 37 year-old has won four straight fights, and seven out of his last eight. In fact, few top heavyweights have been as consistent over the past five years as he has been.
So, as long as he's fighting for a championship, Werdum says he's happy. Of course, he faces a quite different fight against Hunt than he would have against Velasquez.
For more on that matchup, check out our early break down of Werdum vs. Hunt. "Vai Cavalo" understands quite clearly that he and his team will now suddenly have to put together a different approach and strategy, to beat Hunt.
“They’re two completely different fighters,” Werdum said of Velasquez and Hunt.
“We all know that Mark Hunt is a really good striker, so of course I have to change up the game plan a little bit, but I’ve known Mark Hunt since the beginning, since the K-1 days, so I’ve watched and admired him for a long time. We’re going to do a great fight and put on a great show.”
Who's your early pick to walk away with the interim heavyweight belt, Hunt or Werdum? Let us know why in the comments section!
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