Fabricio Werdum was supposed to face Cain Velasquez on Friday at UFC 207. These plans were however scrapped when Velasquez was not given clearance by the Nevada Athletic Commission due to medical reasons.
Instead of wallowing in disappointment, Werdum laid out his immediate future plans, in place of his supposed rematch with Velasquez. In a recent MMA Fighting interview, the Brazilian fighter wants another crack at current champion Stipe Miocic.
“That would be fair. Cain Velasquez didn’t show up for the title eliminator bout, and he won’t be able to fight in a while, so I’d rather wait and fight for the belt next,” Werdum said. “I’m the No. 1 contender, that’s the logical choice. Cain Velasquez won’t fight for a long time, so it’s fair to make me against Stipe Miocic in 2017.”
Werdum lost the title to Miocic in May, when he was knocked out in the first round. If he does get the rematch, the former champion is assured that he will be able to reclaim the title, based on the mistakes he made during their initial encounter.
“Being more patient, I’m sure I’ll submit him. I learned a lot with that lesson. I have what it takes to beat him. I didn’t have enough time to show that in the first fight because I was too anxious, but I’ll beat him next time.”