Recent reports have claimed that the UFC is targeting a rematch for heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic and former title-holder Junior dos Santos for UFC 211. If the fight pushes through, it would be Miocic’s second title defense.
But according to another former champion Fabricio Werdum, making such a match-up is not exactly a fair deal, since he is currently at the number one spot at the UFC rankings.
“I don’t really think (Miocic vs. Dos Santos) is fair,” Werdum told MMA Junkie. “Because I’m the last champ. Going by logic, there’s a (UFC) ranking, it’s there for a reason, and I’m the No. 1. Obviously it’s not a tournament, but I imagined the fight with Velasquez that didn’t happen as a semifinal. It was between Cain and I, and whoever won would fight for the belt. That was practically a given. That’s what everybody saw.”
“But then the fight was canceled, which was a shame, so I thought, ‘Well, Cain is injured, so I’m next,’” Werdum continued. “I heard that Miocic was having contract issues, that he’s asking for more money – and I’m not criticizing him, I think it’s only right. That also happened to me.”
“I think every fighter has the right to demand a little, what they deserve after becoming champ. But Miocic will only fight in June or July, and I’d wait. For the belt, I’d wait for sure.”
Werdum admits that he has no other choice but to just accept the UFC’s decision, if the fight between Miocic and dos Santos does end up taking place. However, he was adamant the he was never running “Cigano”, despite the latter’s previous claims.
“I wasn’t apt to fight him at that moment because as soon as they canceled the (Cain) Velasquez scrap (at UFC 207), I stopped training entirely,” Werdum explained. “I really stopped. I traveled with my family, I did what I always do after I fight – I travel, do seminars, go on vacations. In my head, it was like I’d fought, because I’d prepared for that moment.
“I didn’t want what happened when I fought (Alistair) Overeem in Strikeforce, when I went past my point and went into overtraining, to happen again. So I stopped training, to get some rest. The body needs that. They speculated this fight with ‘Cigano’ – they never offered it to me officially, but they talked about me fighting him in February. But it wasn’t the time. When they schedule the fight with ‘Cigano,’ it won’t be right away. I’ll prepare for it.”