Werdum in standup battle with Roy Nelson / Photo: Nick Laham, UFC
At UFC 143, Fabrício Werdum caught those who thought his punches and kicks weren’t up to snuff by surprise. Facing Roy Nelson, who has knocked out his fair share of stalwart opponents, the Jiu-Jitsu black belt showed he knows his business on his feet, which ultimately earned him the unanimous decision win and the “Fight of the Night” bonus, to boot.
Werdum explains the reason his standup game was flowing so smoothly, and you’d better believe it, the gentle art played a key role in that happening.
“Watch how on-guard Overeem is even as a Thai boxing specialist; he’s afraid to end up on bottom. To me it doesn’t matter. If in trading blows I end up on bottom, I’ll be right at home.”
The heavyweight made his UFC return on the right foot and says he’s back to make things hard on the top talent in the division. His Thai boxing, from training with aces like Rafael Cordeiro and André Dida, is in fine form. But he never neglects his grappling.
“When I hit the ground with Nelson, I quickly made it to his back. So my Jiu-Jitsu was sharp for that fight,” he told GRACIEMAG.com.
“We have good guys in every field for our training camp. João Assis and Lucas Leite are really backing me up in Jiu-Jitsu. We have a great physical conditioning coach as well; he’s a former American football player and a black belt.”
Now check out some of the Jiu-Jitsu and MMA techniques that put Werdum at the top of the fight world:
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