Fabricio Werdum and the UFC Part Ways

mma fighter - fabricio werdum leaves ufc - guard up photo

According to MMA Weekly (link below), Brazilian heavyweight Fabricio Werdum has left the UFC.

MMA Weekly reports that the UFC attempted to renegotiate Werdum's contract after his surprising first-round knockout loss to Junior dos Santos at UFC 90 - Silva vs Cote. The two sides were unable to come to terms (the UFC no doubt requested that Werdum accept a paycut in order to stay with the promotion), and finally agreed to go their separate ways.

According to the article, Werdum has "opened talks with other promotions in the United States and Japan."

Werdum's departure from the UFC was sudden and unexpected. Many expected Werdum to be one of the first challengers for the unified UFC heavyweight title. However, his quick loss to Junior do Santos changed all of that, and Werdum found himself not only without a shot at the title, but also without a job altogether.

Fabricio Werdum ended his run in the UFC with a record of 2-2. He lost his debut in the promotion at UFC 70 to Andrei Arlovski via unanimous decision. He then went on to beat Gabriel Gonzaga and Brandon Vera in convincing fashion, leading many to believe that a shot at the heavyweight title was just around the corner. He was then knocked out by Junior dos Santos at UFC 90, and his dreams of a title shot were dashed.

Werdum currently has a lifetime professional record of 11-4-1.

I would expect Werdum to be signed by another promotion fairly quickly. Affliction seems like a logical choice, provided that they have the money to sign the Brazilian fighter. Werdum is a popular and exciting fighter, and any promotion would be lucky to have him. It's too bad that he has left the UFC, but we'll see Fabricio pop up with another promotion soon enough.

Source: MMA Weekly - Dos Santos Knocks Werdum Out of UFC

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