UFC wants Werdum to face the winner of Browne vs. Barnett

Since returning to the UFC in February of 2012, heavyweight contender Fabricio Werdum (17-5-1 MMA, 5-2 UFC) has gone 3-0, with impressive wins over Roy Nelson, Mike Russow and most recently ‘Big Nog.’

In late October, UFC president Dana White stated that the 36-year-old Brazilian, Werdum, would be the next man to challenge rating UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez for the title.

However, since then things have changed. Cain Velasquez had to undergo shoulder surgery which will sideline him until late 2014, and the UFC wants Werdum to fight in the meantime.

According to Ariel Helwani, UFC president Dana White and UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta would like for Werdum to fight the winner of Travis Browne vs. Josh Barnett, which goes down later this month at UFC 168 in Las Vegas. However, the decision is up to Werdum, as he told MMAFighting.com:

“They told me it’s my decision,” Werdum told MMAFighting. “I had a meeting with Dana White and my team, the UFC said it’s up to me, if I want to wait or fight again. I’m still thinking about it, but I believe I’m going to wait for this opportunity to fight for the title. I’m the next in line. But it’s not 100 percent yet.”

“I’ll make my final decision next week. t’s an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, something that I’ve been waiting for a long time. My biggest dream is to fight for the UFC title. I accomplished all my other dreams, becoming a world champion in jiu-jitsu and ADCC, and I still want the world title in MMA.”

Werdum hasn’t stepped foot inside the octagon since a June win over ‘Big Nog,’ so he is already looking at a substantial layoff either way. What do you think he will do? Let’s hear it Penn Nation!