WERDUM GETS INTERIM TITLE SHOT VS...

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With Cain Velasquez on the shelf, UFC wants Fabricio Werdum to face Travis Browne or Josh Barnett

<p class="m-entry__byline">
    By <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/users/Trent%20Reinsmith" rel="author">Trent Reinsmith</a> <span class="m-entry__byline-tw-handle"> <a href="http://twitter.com/TrentReinsmith">@TrentReinsmith</a> </span> on Dec 12 2013, 10:00a <span class="m-comment-count "> <a class="m-comment-count__bubble" href="http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2013/12/12/5202742/cain-velasquez-surgery-ufc-wants-fabricio-werdum-vs-travis-browne-josh-barnett#comments">12</a> </span></p>
Esther Lin for MMAFighting

With his title shot against UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez on hold, the UFC wants No. 2 ranked Fabricio Werdum to face the winner of UFC 168's fight between Travis Browne and Josh Barnett

Fabricio Werdum has some thinking to do.

In early October, Werdum, the No. 2 ranked heavyweight in the UFC revealed that he had been informed that he would be the next fighter to compete for the UFC Heavyweight title. When Cain Velasquez successfully defended that title with TKO win over former champion Junior dos Santos, it looked as if Werdum had his opponent.

If history tells us anything about the UFC's matchmaking plans, it's don't ever count on things being that easy.

On Wednesday Velasquez tweeted the following:

 

 

According to UFC Tonight, the surgery and subsequent rehab will keep Velasquez on the shelf until late 2014.

That report also indicated that UFC president Dana White would like Werdum to not sit and wait for Velasquez to return to action.

In fact, according to Ariel Helwani, White and UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta have requested that Werdum fight the winner of the upcoming bout between Travis Browne and Josh Barnett.

Browne (15-1-1) is ranked No. 5 in the heavyweight division while Barnett (33-6) comes in at No. 6. The two will fight on the pay per view portion of UFC 168. That fight card will take place on December 28.

Werdum (17-5-1) is unbeaten since returning to the UFC in 2012, earning wins over Roy Nelson, Mike Russow and most recently Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. The win over Nogueira came in June after coaching opposite the veteran fighter in season two of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil.

According to Helwani, Werdum has not yet responded to the request made be White and Fertitta.

 

COOL.
 
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Werdum vs Barnett would be awesome.

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Where did it mention interim title?

Werdum vs Barnett would be awesome!

4

MMALOGIC - 


Werdum vs Barnett would be awesome.



you read my mind

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7 years ago PRIDE were talking about doing Werdum vs Barnett for a shot at their belt. Funny it may eventually happen in UFC. Sort of goes to show that PRIDE did have the better talent pool back then though.

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Big Pookie - 
Where did it mention interim title?

Werdum vs Barnett would be awesome!


 



 



cain-velasquez-shoulder-surgery

UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez has apparently cleared a major hurdle as he prepares for his 2014 campaign.



Velasquez posted the above photo today, a day after he underwent successful surgery for a torn labrum on his left shoulder.



“My shoulder surgery yesterday went well. Can’t wait to be back at it!” he wrote on Instagram.



It’s not the first shoulder surgery for the 31-year-old, who avenged his only career loss for a second time after knocking out Junior dos Santos in October at UFC 166. Both shoulders have now been surgically repaired on the former NCAA Division I All-American wrestler, who also tore his rotator cuff and labrum in his right shoulder while taking the title from Brock Lesnar in 2010.



 



2ND SHOULDER SURGERY? THE UFC NEEDS A HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE. IT SELLS PPV'S. THEY'VE ALREADY HAD A FIGHT SET AND CANCELED. NO HEAVY WT TITLE FIGHT FOR A YEAR OR MORE IS BAD BUSINESS. THEY'LL HAVE THIS BECOME INTERIM, THEN WINNER GETS CAIN IF HE''S EVER BACK. THEY ARE BUSINESSMEN AND THAT'S THE SMART BUSINESS MOVE.

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jds beats werdum, barnett and browne

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"Ha! could you imagine? Are we live? No. What title? UFC title? No! Sell!"

-Chael Phone Post

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Am I missing where it says it would be for the interim title? Phone Post

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Werdum vs Barnett, Both guys are running out of years, This fight needs to happen, Carl Gotch catch wrasstlin vs BJJ, My body is ready

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Rambo John J - 


Should be Barnett or DC.



Verdum earned a title shot 5 years ago, got shafted, got fat , and lost against JDS.



He deserves to fight DC or JB for the Belt.



Cain is gonna be fighting that shoulder for the rest of his career.


DC won't fight Cain, the Werdum v JB fight leads to a unification once (if) cain can come back.

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if werdum wants to wait then zuffa will probably do Tuf mexico while cain is on the shelf.  It depends on how fast and what type of clearance and distribution telavisa is getting with the latin American UFC network.

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downthepines - Werdum vs Barnett, Both guys are running out of years, This fight needs to happen, Carl Gotch catch wrasstlin vs BJJ, My body is ready

I think JDS beats on Werdum but loses to JB. Just a thing.

Cain Barnett would have been a trash truck versus semi.

Big angry guy who comes forward versus big angry guy who comes forward.

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MMALOGIC - 


if werdum wants to wait then zuffa will probably do Tuf mexico while cain is on the shelf.  It depends on how fast and what type of clearance and distribution telavisa is getting with the latin American UFC network.


???????

That has nothing to do with this.

with 80000000 events this year they can have two, maybe three heavyweight title fights or maybe 1.

I'll say it again, Dana and Lorenzo are way to good at their jobs to not make it interim. Shit, when i saw this it never occurred to me they' just have another elimination fight.

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chokeyou - 
MMALOGIC - 


if werdum wants to wait then zuffa will probably do Tuf mexico while cain is on the shelf.  It depends on how fast and what type of clearance and distribution telavisa is getting with the latin American UFC network.


???????

That has nothing to do with this.

with 80000000 events this year they can have two, maybe three heavyweight title fights or maybe 1.

I'll say it again, Dana and Lorenzo are way to good at their jobs to not make it interim. Shit, when i saw this it never occurred to me they' just have another elimination fight.


cain and werdum are pretty much the only 2 spanish speaking  ufc fighters big enough to do it.



IM not saying it will, but Entering MExico with a bang and the latin UFC channel  is way more important than werdum vs barnett/browne for an interim title.

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MMALOGIC - 
chokeyou - 
MMALOGIC - 


if werdum wants to wait then zuffa will probably do Tuf mexico while cain is on the shelf.  It depends on how fast and what type of clearance and distribution telavisa is getting with the latin American UFC network.


???????

That has nothing to do with this.

with 80000000 events this year they can have two, maybe three heavyweight title fights or maybe 1.

I'll say it again, Dana and Lorenzo are way to good at their jobs to not make it interim. Shit, when i saw this it never occurred to me they' just have another elimination fight.


cain and werdum are pretty much the only 2 spanish speaking  ufc fighters big enough to do it.



IM not saying it will, but Entering MExico with a bang and the latin UFC channel  is way more important than werdum vs barnett/browne for an interim title.


Werdum speaks Spanish?

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^ yes.

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chokeyou - 
downthepines - Werdum vs Barnett, Both guys are running out of years, This fight needs to happen, Carl Gotch catch wrasstlin vs BJJ, My body is ready

I think JDS beats on Werdum but loses to JB. Just a thing.

Cain Barnett would have been a trash truck versus semi.

Big angry guy who comes forward versus big angry guy who comes forward.

Barnett has a solid chance at JDS, It would be a great fight for the fans either way....

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It doesn't mention anything about an interim title shot, it just says they want Fabricio to fight the winner of Browne vs. Barnett.

Either way, that would be a good fight, so I hope Fabricio takes the UFC on their offer unless he wants to stay inactive for the majority of next year and only take one fight possibly next year which would suck honestly.

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I will jizz for 24 consecutive hours if the War Master gets HIS belt back. Phone Post 3.0