WERDUM DONE BEING NICE
It seems that UFC fans can expect more of what was seen at the UFC 203 Press Conference from heavyweight contender Fabricio Werdum.
“I will break your face, bastard,” Werdum told opponent Travis Browne earlier this week in a moment that shocked many fans who are used to the usually amiable and respectful Brazilian.
The former champion explained that he felt snubbed for a rematch after having lost the belt to Stipe Miocic earlier this year. “I deserved an immediate rematch since I was coming off six wins in a row, but I knew the UFC wouldn’t give it to me. Winning this fight, I will deserve it. I will do everything I can to put on a spectacular fight to earn another title shot.”
While he promised to maintain his comedic demeanor outside of fighting, he is adamant about taking every fight seriously and said that he will be employing new tactics to appeal to fans and the UFC so he is more likely to get what he wants. “I will always joke around, but the happy face is in the past. I’d do something different. But talking more at the post-fight press conference helps a lot, for sure. Fans like that, some trash talk.”
Werdum is fighting Travis Browne tonight in a rematch tonight where he hopes to take the first step back toward title contention.
Cervantes Analysis: Good for him. I have never been a fan of immediate rematches because I believe they tie up the rest of the division and force more deserving fighters to wait longer than necessary, but I also see his point. The UFC, as we have seen over the years, has been very lenient about handing out immediate rematches to fighters who know how work the crowds and how to generate anticipation ahead of fights. I don’t know how much success Werdum will have as we haven’t really had a chance to see his mic skills, but I’m very interested to see if it gets him what he wants after this fight.
SATURDAY NOTEBOOK ITEMS…
-C.B Dolloway sustained a back injury in an elevator accident at a hotel in Cleveland last night and has been pulled from tonight’s card.
-Legendary WWE commentator Jim Ross says he expects a “good showing” from C.M Punk tonight but not a win.
-UFC 204 Bisping vs. Henderson tickets sold out within six minutes, indicating high anticipation ahead of next month’s bout in Manchester.
-UFC 205 in New York will feature a middleweight bout between former Light Heavyweight Champion Rashad Evans and Tim Kennedy.
(Jonathan Cervantes has been an avid fan of MMA since 2009 when he saw GSP vs. B.J. Penn 2. He has practiced tae kwon do, jiu-jitsu, and wrestling in the past and is currently a student majoring in entrepreneurship at the University of San Francisco.)
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