Fabricio Werdum is showing confidence in the improvements he’s made over the years.
“Vai Cavalo” was always considered a threat on the ground, but in recent years his striking has led him to victory on numerous occasions. Key victories over Mark Hunt and Travis Browne serve as examples.
Speaking to Combate, Werdum said a knockout win over Alistair Overeem this Saturday night (July 8) at UFC 213 isn’t out of the question (via Bloody Elbow):
“Yeah, I see myself doing really well in the striking department. I’ve been training with master Rafael Cordeiro for 10 years. I don’t mean to brag, but I see I evolved a lot. I would fight Overeem standing up, I see big possibilities of knocking him out. If I see an opportunity, I’ll take him to the ground, obviously, to use my jiu-jitsu, but if it remains on the feet, I’ll be fine.”
The two have fought each other twice before. Werdum won the first bout, while Overeem took their second encounter. “Vai Cavalo” explained what went wrong the second time around.
“Our first fight went great. I was able to submit him. The second one, I was overtrained, I went too far. I had to two fights cancelled and when the third one came around, I didn’t even believe it was going to happen. I couldn’t fight because I couldn’t find the strength to be on my feet. I was criticized for pulling guard, but it was all I had to save me.”
