Werdum Pessimistic About the Conclusion of Strikeforce GP, Receives Black Belt in Muay Thai

http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2011/4/8/2099958/werdum-pessimistic-about-the-conclusion-of-strikeforce-gp

In June you’ll be participating in the first round of the Strikeforce GP, how are the preparations going? Did the postponement of the fight have an effect on your training?

Fabrício Werdum – I’m doing well, I’m training a lot. To be honest, the postponement was bad for my training routine because we always have a schedule of two to three months with all the sessions pre-defined. In this sense it was bad because it broke my rhythm, but I always try to look at it on the good side and, in this case, I will have more time to train and prepare for combat.

You will be facing Alistair Overeem, who you beat in 2006. Does this make you more relaxed?

Werdum – Yes. A lot of people say he has improved a lot since, that "this and that", but I have also evolved. I have improved my ground game, my physical strength and my stand up game. In fact, I have just received my black belt in Muay Thai from Rafael [Cordeiro]. So, I focus on my potential, and I don’t care for what [people] say.

Winning this fight you’d be facing Big Foot in the next phase [of the GP], but many people don’t think the GP will go until the end since the UFC bought Strikeforce, what do you think?

Werdum – After the UFC bought Strikeforce, I find it difficult that the GP will go all the way until the end. It’s my opinion, but I don’t think the UFC will invest in a tournament such as this to take attention away from their fighters. I hope to be wrong, but that’s how I see it.

In case the GP does not go until the end, it is to be expected that the top fighters from Strikeforce will migrate into the UFC. You have fought there before, do you ever think about going back? Did you leave the promotion in good terms?

Werdum – No, I left in good terms actually. We just didn’t come to a financial agreement. They asked to lower my pay rate and I did not accept that. I had just lost to [Junior dos Santos], I was not in a good phase personally, and I opted to not lower my pay rate. I ended up going to Strikeforce.

Regarding your fight with [Junior dos Santos]. I remember that you said something before the beginning of the fight that he didn’t take it too well. Was there any rivalry between you two?

Werdum – There is no rivalry. In the beginning of the fight I said I was going to break his face. I was trying to take his focus away because I was not in my best conditions. But it ended up that he broke my face instead [laughs].

After beating you, [Junior dos Santos]has been going through a great phase, if he beats Brock Lesnar he should be fighting for the belt. Did you know he was that good when you faced him?

Werdum – no, but it’s good that he is, right? [laughs]. I’d be pissed if he beat me and then lost his next fight. My dream in 2011 is winning the GP then challenging the UFC HW Champion. If that happens to be [dos Santos], that’d be even better, and from there we’d have a rematch. That would be the perfect year.

How is your training in the US going?

Werdum – man, it’s really good. Rafael [Cordeiro] has an impressive vision. He works together with all his students at the same time, he studies you and will point out the necessities for each depending on their game. Training with him gives me more motivation. So much so that I, Wanderlei, Shogun, we all come to train with him now, we all like to learn from him.

Wanderlei, Shogun, Mark Munoz... Only big names for sparring?

Werdum – Yes, it’s incredible. At the moment we have Ishii, who is an olympic Judo Champion, Renato Babalu, Wanderlei Silva, Vladimir Matyushenko. In conclusion, it’s a big and strong team. My only problem is that I have to travel 80km everyday to train in Huntington Beach with Rafael Cordeiro. Tuesdays and Thursdays I have to travel even more to train with Mark Munoz. Since everyone has their own academies, we sometimes train in each other’s academies, but we’ll meet more at Kings MMA. the guys knows the training there is good, technical and strong. So more and more people will go to Kings MMA.

I really dont the tourney goes all the way to the end either.

I hope it does though. The biggest sticking point is Josh Barnett.

I just find it hard to believe with the new owners they will promote this as the best HWs in the world and keep it going.

They don't have to promote it as the best in the world but they should keep it going. If it makes money for Zuffa why wouldn't they promote it?

timthebim wrote:

I just find it hard to believe with the new owners they will promote this as the best HWs in the world and keep it going.

With the contract with showtime..Zuffa is in no position to intentionally sabotage Strikeforce by not allowing Coker and Sho to promote it to the fullest, and make it hard for them to get the best ratings they can on Showtime...plus, there is no logical reason they would do that if they could because those HW are Zuffa fighters who will be in the UFC in 2 years or less.

freakzilla316ftw wrote:

They don't have to promote it as the best in the world but they should keep it going. If it makes money for Zuffa why wouldn't they promote it?

Just a hunch I have that they wont keep promoting it. Eventually these guys will be fighting in the UFC HW division so I just dont think this tourney keeps going. Without SF being on its own I feel like the tourney lost alot of its hype already.

Not to mention it feels like the way this tourney is set up it could take 5 years for it to get over. Those 4 first fights should have at least been in the same month not 6 months later.

Well...you're hunch is wrong but do agree the tournament lost a lot of hype...but not really because of the purchase but because of the delay between the first leg and the second leg. If anything, Zuffa can help these bouts happen sooner. You'll know that the GP is safe and sound come June when those bouts are heavily promoted and turn in big ratings.

KingsOwn19 wrote:

Well...you're hunch is wrong but do agree the tournament lost a lot of hype...but not really because of the purchase but because of the delay between the first leg and the second leg. You'll know that the GP is safe and sound come June when those bouts are heavily promoted and turn in big ratings.

Also those fights being the week after Brock vs JDS hurts it alittle also to me. Nobody will be talking that tourney just brock and JDS.

KingsOwn19 wrote:

Well...you're hunch is wrong but do agree the tournament lost a lot of hype...but not really because of the purchase but because of the delay between the first leg and the second leg. If anything, Zuffa can help these bouts happen sooner. You'll know that the GP is safe and sound come June when those bouts are heavily promoted and turn in big ratings.

Wouldnt be the 1st time lol.

timthebim wrote:

KingsOwn19 wrote:

Well...you're hunch is wrong but do agree the tournament lost a lot of hype...but not really because of the purchase but because of the delay between the first leg and the second leg. You'll know that the GP is safe and sound come June when those bouts are heavily promoted and turn in big ratings.

Also those fights being the week after Brock vs JDS hurts it alittle also to me. Nobody will be talking that tourney just brock and JDS.

I don't think that hurts it at all...the GP will get promoted on Brock-JDS and it's not like it's a PPV or anything. It will do close to a million if not more..which is money for Showtime and Zuffa.

KingsOwn19 wrote:

timthebim wrote:

KingsOwn19 wrote:

Well...you're hunch is wrong but do agree the tournament lost a lot of hype...but not really because of the purchase but because of the delay between the first leg and the second leg. You'll know that the GP is safe and sound come June when those bouts are heavily promoted and turn in big ratings.

Also those fights being the week after Brock vs JDS hurts it alittle also to me. Nobody will be talking that tourney just brock and JDS.

I don't think that hurts it at all...the GP will get promoted on Brock-JDS and it's not like it's a PPV or anything. It will do close to a million if not more..which is money for Showtime and Zuffa.

Thats what saves it right there. If it was PPV it would be dead in the water.

Promoting the tourney would actually be good for the UFC because these fighters would already be well established to the UFC fans by the time they fight in the UFC.

freakzilla316ftw wrote:

Promoting the tourney would actually be good for the UFC because these fighters would already be well established to the UFC fans by the time they fight in the UFC.

Yeah I guess that would be 1 good thing about it.

timthebim wrote:

I just find it hard to believe with the new owners they will promote this as the best HWs in the world and keep it going.

money speaks playa

of coarse theyll keep it going and probably slap on a ppv for the final

Thats the sickest part about SF being bought out, there will be a ton of SF PPVs now, which sucks for me lol.

Didn't realize belts were awarded in Muay Thai. Werdum shouldn't take this as a sign to stand and bang with Overeem.

Without buyout, Prix doesn't finish.

With buyout, Prix finishes with even more publicity.

He should be pessimistic about his conclusion in the GP considering his head is going to get bashed in

bobbitt15 wrote:

He should be pessimistic about his conclusion in the GP considering his head is going to get bashed in

Good point!

who said this the day I heard about the SF acquisition???

Oh ya thats right , the BIRD

Birdofthad wrote:

who said this the day I heard about the SF acquisition???

Oh ya thats right , the BIRD

The Bird? Wrong Bird sorry.