There has been a long-standing beef between UFC champion Fabricio Werdum and Conor McGregor, and it does not look like it is ending any time soon.
The two men have been going at it through interviews and awards night speeches for the past few months now. The talks from Werdum’s side grew louder when Nate Diaz submitted McGregor via 2nd round rear-naked choke at UFC 196.
“The Notorious” has duly kept himself mostly silent following his first UFC loss last March 5th. While many personalities, including former lineal super middleweight boxing champion Andre Ward have lauded him for stepping up and fighting 25 pounds heavier than his natural weight against Diaz, Werdum is having none of it.
“He talked a lot, moved up in weight and saw how heavy Nate Diaz’s hands are,” Werdum told MMA Fighting. “When he needed to show up and fight, he lost. He was humbled. And Nate showed the way to beat him. He becomes a child on the ground.”
During the UFC 196 pre-fight press conference, a brawl nearly broke out after McGregor slapped Diaz’s hand away during the stare down. The situation was kept under control, thanks to Dana White’s mediation, but Werdum says the UFC president’s presence would be irrelevant if he was put in the same situation against the Irishman.
“If he says something in a press conference and I’m there, I would get Dana out of the way [laughs]. You can’t let him be that cocky,” he said. “You have to be crazier than him sometimes so he stops.”
Werdum is slated to headline UFC 198 on May 14th in Brazil, as he defends his title against Stipe Miocic.