What’s the story?
Former UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos is without an opponent now that Stefan Struve has pulled out of their scheduled bout at UFC Halifax next month, and has openly stated that he’d like a rematch with former champ Fabricio Werdum next.
Werdum has stated that he is only looking to fight for the title right now, causing dos Santos to respond by insinuating that he has ducked him multiple times before. Werdum did not take too kindly to this, posting a lengthy statement of his Facebook page challenging Dos Santos to a no time limit fight in his gym.
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The two former champs clashed once before at UFC 90 back in 2008, where Dos Santos made a successful UFC debut against Werdum with a vicious first round knockout victory in Illinois. Despite this both men would go on to have successful careers under the UFC banner, each having a run with the heavyweight crown as well.
The heart of the matter:
Here’s what Werdum had to say about ‘JDS’:
“I saw that Stipe Miocic is having a contract problem, he wants to increase the bag to renew, so if he does not fight, as I am the first in the ranking, I challenge Gypsy to a fight for the interim belt. And that’s not all. After this fight, regardless of the outcome, I go to his gym [American Top Team] to fight inside, me and him, business man himself, to end this clown talk that I’m running away.
I’ll show him who runs away, show him how it used to be in the old days, show him he’s a f*cking girl who arrived yesterday and is playing the fool. Whoever wins this fight behind closed doors will have the right to post the result on social networks to see who is who.”
“I’ll call [ATT coach] Liborio who is my friend, respect him a lot, and as a sign of respect, warn him that I’m coming with my team to fight with Gypsy.
I take the plane with Rafael Cordeiro and my brothers and I go to his gym to do a fight behind closed doors, until someone knocks out, there is no time, there is no round, there is nothing, no such business to stop because it is not holding up. Why, are you tired? Just for when someone taps or gets knocked out, in the same old fashion.”
What’s next?
The challenge from Werdum will likely go unanswered as a gym fight between the two poses a threat to both men’s careers, not to mention possible punishment from athletic commissions, as well as the UFC themselves.
Sportskeeda’s Take:
If Dos Santos is able to rack up another impressive win he may find himself standing across the Octagon from Werdum again sooner rather than later. As for Werdum, he is currently the No. 1-ranked heavyweight in the UFC and has the biggest claim to a shot at current chap Stipe Miocic.
