Former Champ Fabricio Werdum Makes His Case for UFC Title Shot

Former heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum has been on a mission to regain his status as champion since losing the belt to Stipe Miocic at UFC 198 in May 2016. His UFC Fight Night 121 win over Marcin Tybura o n Saturday put the Brazilian on a two-fight winning streak. Following the one-sided decision, Werdum called for a title shot and rematch with Miocic.

The 40-year-old Werdum has a storied history. He’s fought in Pride FC, Strikeforce and the UFC over the course of his fifteen-year fighting career. He holds wins over legends, and believes that career accomplishments and overall resume should carry the most weight when deciding who will get the next title shot.

“I feel for sure that I deserve it because it’s not just now just for this fight, or the last fight. It’s for my, you know, I’ve beaten a lot of guys like Cain Velasquez, Fedor Emelianenko, Rodrigo Nogueira. I have a big history. I’ve been fighting for 20 years, not just now,” said Werdum during the UFC Fight Night Sydney Post-fight Press Conference.

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Werdum is ranked No. 2 in the heavyweight division. A title shot isn’t out of the question, but No. 1 ranked Alistair Overeem and No. 4 ranked Francis Ngannou face off in the UFC 218 co-main event on December 2. The winner of that fight will have a very strong argument to be the next title challenger. Werdum doesn’t agree.

“Francis doesn’t deserve it yet because he’s just starting out. Overeem has a big history too, but I think I still deserve the title shot. I just want the opportunity and I’ll show that I’m the best again,” he said.

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