Fabricio Werdum eyes return to UFC, welcomes fight with Brendan Schaub

by Derek Bolender on Nov 23, 2011 at 12:30 pm ET

Fabricio Werdum (14-5-1 MMA, 3-1 SF) is, as musician Jack Johnson once said, "Sitting, waiting, wishing."

The 34-year-old heavyweight is currently stuck in limbo as UFC parent company Zuffa, LLC and Showtime are behind closed doors deciding what may or may not become of the (still fairly recently purchased) Strikeforce promotion.

Werdum would like nothing more than the ability to transition over to the UFC like former colleagues Dan Henderson, Alistair Overeem, Nick Diaz, Jason "Mayhem" Miller and Cung Le have done in recent months.

"My motivation now is to fight the best guys in the world in the UFC," Werdum told (www.mmajunkie.com/radio).

"Yeah, I have a (Strikeforce) contract, but it's the same organization now. Everything is the same."

It wasn't that long ago when Werdum was marching towards a title shot in his first go around with the UFC following back-to-back TKO wins over Gabriel Gonzaga and Brandon Vera at UFC 80 and 85, respectively.

But after entering UFC 90 in October 2008 with a noticeable weight gain, he was swiftly dispatched by UFC newcomer (and now current UFC champion) Junior Dos Santos, and promptly cut.

Strikeforce swooped in and gave him the platform to resurrect his career.

"Vai Cavalo" took full advantage.

Consecutive wins over Mike Kyle and Antonio Silva, followed by his authoring of one of the biggest upsets in MMA history in defeating Fedor Emelianenko by first round triangle-armbar, and he was once again ascending up the heavyweight ranks.

After a year layoff he fought Alistair Overeem in the quarterfinals of the Strikeforce heavyweight tournament.

Despite more than holding his own in what was predominantly a kickboxing match against the 2010 K-1 world grand prix champion, the judges gave the nod to Overeem in the end.

Now he's patiently waiting for a phone call from the UFC.

"I'm waiting for the opportunity, maybe," Werdum said. "But, I don't know. My next goal is just to come back to the UFC. I don't know who I want to fight, but my next goal is just to come back to the UFC."

Brendan Schaub has been rumored in recent weeks as a potential opponent, and its one Werdum is more than willing to sign up for.

And if it could take place at UFC 142 on January 14, 2012 at the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, even better.

Werdum, a Porto Alegre native, is 2-0 with two knockouts in his career fighting in Brazil with his last win coming in May 2004 when he was a still green to the sport fighting for Jungle Fight.

"I like the fans in Brazil because I watched the last fight in Brazil (UFC 134), the last UFC," Werdum said. "I liked the motivation the guys there had in my city, my country. It would be good to fight there. It would be fun."

Brazil would simply be icing on the cake. Whatever it takes for him to swap the hexagon for the octagon, he's willing to do.

"My next goal is to come back to the UFC anywhere," Werdum said. "No problem. In Brazil. In Vegas. In Japan. Maybe if they have UFC on the moon, I'd go too.

"My life is fighting. I love to fight. I am hungry for fights."