In last night’s episode of FOX Sports 1’s UFC Tonight show, UFC interim heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum showed a lot of confidence going into his big unification fight against regular champion Cain Velasquez.
When show host and Velasquez’ training partner Daniel Cormier told him:
“The UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez told me to tell you to stop carrying the belt everywhere. It’s making him mad. If you take it to the Florida media tour, he’s going to take it away from you. To be the man, you have to beat the man,”
Werdum’s response was brash and rather entertaining:
“I love him. Five years ago, he helped me with a lot of training with wrestling. When we first met, I took him down. I took him down three times. He grabbed me in a double leg and took me down and I got him in an armbar. You remember that! […] I think Cain has good boxing, good wrestling and good conditioning, but if he takes down me, I say thank you. I’m good. It’s my home. I think he’ll stay there. I’ll finish him.”
Fabricio Werdum has had a very impressive stint since being released from the UFC in 2008. He went on to become the first man to truly beat heavyweight great Fedor Emelianenko in a shocking submission victory in the 2009 Strikeforce Heayvyweight Grand Prix, and eventually signed with the UFC again, where he went unbeaten since.
“When I beat Fedor, I had the same feeling. I’m very confident,” Werdum said on the show. “On June 13, I’ll show everyone who’s the real champion.”
Fabricio Werdum and Cain Velasquez will unify their heavyweight titles June 13 at UFC 188 in Mexico City. The fight was originally scheduled for UFC 180 in November last year, but got postponed due to a Velasquez knee injury. Werdum faced and beat Mark Hunt for the interim belt instead.