Even before he spoiled the heavyweight debut of Alexander Gustafsson, Fabricio Werdum was clear about his future plans. His fight against Gustafsson was the last one on his UFC contract. However, after the fight, the Brazilian didn’t exactly close the door on a return to the UFC.
Fabricio Werdum defeated Alexander Gustafsson on the main card of UFC on ESPN 14. In what was possibly UFC’s last event on Fight Island, Werdum made quick work of the Swedish who was coming out of retirement. Arguably the best submission artist in UFC heavyweight history, the former champ locked in an armbar which forced ‘The Mauler’ to tap.
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Werdum was coming off a split-decision loss just a couple of months ago against Aleksei Oleinik. Hence a loss would have made the situation very grim, negotiation wise, if he went to sign somewhere else.
“Sometimes you lose the last fight in the UFC and everything changes. I don’t know if I stay in the UFC or not or a different event. One hundred percent I don’t stop to fight,” Werdum said carefully stringing together the words in English.
In the interview that he gave right after winning the fight, Werdum was a bit different from his usual self. While he is often jovial in his interviews, Werdum got a bit emotional as he delivered his address in Portuguese. However, during the post-fight interview, Werdum was back to his usual self.
Fabricio Werdum accepts he has had problems with the UFC
Werdum has spent a significant portion of his fighting career in the UFC. He has also donned the hat of the commentator in the Spanish broadcast of the organization. After the fight with Gustafsson, Werdum didn’t know if he would ever return to the UFC. Hence, he let a lot of people know that he was grateful for the opportunity.
“This is my last fight in the UFC. I have many years with UFC like ten years or twelve years. I am working in Spanish commentary. Almost all my life has been here. I love UFC for sure. I wanna say thanks to UFC for many things. For sure I have problems too. It’s normal. Before coming here I pick my phone and I text everyone that I am grateful,” Werdum said during the post-fight press conference.
He also expressed his gratitude to UFC matchmaker Mick Maynard and President Dana White.
I want to thank @Mickmaynard2 @danawhite give me the opportunity to come back To fight so soon and redeem myself🐎
— Fabricio Werdum (@FabricioWerdum) July 26, 2020
As far as his future is concerned, Werdum couldn’t say anything for sure unless he gets in touch with his manager first.
“I don’t say no (for re-signing with the UFC) because I have to talk to Ali (Abdelaziz) first. He is the best manager in the world one hundred percent,” Werdum added.
