Werdum trains muay thai with André Dida. Photo: Carlos Ozório.
Fabrício Werdum has a date set with Alistair Overeem, a fighter he has beaten in the past, but who is today one of the greatest heavyweights in the world, the champion of both Strikeforce and K-1. And for added confidence at the June 18 Strikeforce GP, the Jiu-Jitsu black belt now has now reached the highest rank in another style as well.
“Everyone says that he (Overeem) has improved a lot since our fight. They say this and that. But I’ve evolved too. I’m improved my ground, my physical conditioning, my striking. I even got a black belt in muay thai from Rafael Cordeiro. So I’m focused on my own potential, I don’t care much what they say,” said the fighter in an interview on the R7 website.
On Strikeforce’s purchase by the UFC, Werdum is fearful the heavyweight GP will end up without a champion.
“Now the UFC bought Strikeforce, I feel it’s unlikely the GP will make it to the final. That’s my opinion, but I feel the UFC won’t invest in a tournament like this that would divide attention with their fighters.”
On the future, the Brazilian aims high: he wants revenge.
“My dream in 2011 is to win the GP and challenge the UFC champion. If it’s Cigano, better still: then we’d have a rematch. It would be a perfect year,” he says.
Check out the interview in its entirety here.