Fabricio Werdum celebrates win over Mike Russow at UFC 147. Publicity photo.
by Vitor Freitas
Last Saturday in Nottingham, England, during UFC on Fuel TV 5, Fabricio Werdum was one of the fighters causing the biggest buzz – without even putting on gloves or gracing the arena with his presence.
All because the big winner of the evening, towering Dutchman Stefan Struve, took out the until-then undefeated Stipe Miocic and issued a challenge to the 2003 and 2004 Jiu-Jitsu world champion.
Struve wants his shot at Junior Cigano’s belt, and he sees the stalwart grappler from Brazil as being a shortcut to getting it. Werdum, on his part, is ready to take on anyone who might catapult him to a rematch with the champion, so the match looks quite plausible.
As a fan, what do you think of the matchup? Is it a good fit for the fighters? How about for the UFC?
Fabricio Werdum is coming off back-to-back wins in the event, against the heavy-handed Roy Nelson and the wrestler Mike Russow. In both of them, Werdum relied on Jiu-Jitsu’s precepts: make the opponent uncomfortable the whole time. Recently, he showed how such methods also apply to clinching and throwing knees.
Note how he grabs the wrist of the hand cupped behind the winsome interviewer’s head, making her uncomfortable and at the mercy of his strikes.
