Fabricio Werdum: I Want Cain Velasquez To Be 100% In Mexico
It sounds like Werdum vs Velasquez is still going to happen in Mexico…..
2014 was a great year for Brazilian grappler-turned striker Fabricio Werdum, as h fought his way to the top of the stack at heavyweight. Only thing is, he didn’t overcome the one hurdle to become the undisputed champion. Cain Velasquez hasn’t fought since an October 2013 TKO win over Junior Dos Santos, meaning the division needed an interim title in the wake of him dropping out of UFC 180.
The event was held in Mexico, and instead featured Mark Hunt vs “Vai Cavalo” instead of Werdum vs Velasquez. The Brazilian scored a thrilling TKO over “The Super Samoan” following a huge knee to the chin. Speaking with MMAFighting.com, Werdum says he is preparing to fight a returning Velasquez in June this year:
“A lot of things changed for me. It was an amazing fight, I’ve travelled a lot since then. Now I’ve started training to fight in June (against Cain Velasquez) in Mexico. It’s not 100% official, but it’s what we want. I want to fight there because of the Latin-American fans. It’s an amazing event (against Mark Hunt) there was 24,000 fans there.”
The UFC had hinted at Velasquez returning to fight in June of this year, and the champion was eager to fight in his home country after dropping out on short notice last time. Werdum says injuries are normal in the UFC, but he still wants to remain active:
“Three fights a year is good for me. I want to fight Velasquez to be 100% healthy to fight me, I’ve started training again after one month off. In June I’ll be ready for this fight. I feel like the champion, I’ve been training just for Cain Velasquez. I’m training for him. It’s normal to have injuries, because we all train hard.”
It seems that after years in promotions like Pride FC and Strikeforce, “Vai Cavalo” has really come in to his own at age 37. Has he got enough in the tank to compete with the Mexican champ on his own turf though?
Werdum vs Velasquez will answer a lot of questions, the biggest being can anyone dethrone the unbeatable looking champion? After 18 months out of action, now would be the time if any, right?
