One of the most decorated heavyweight fighters of all time is considering hanging it up. PFL‘s Fabricio Werdum (24-9-1, 1 NC) is considering hanging up the gloves and not fighting again after it was revealed that he’s not part of the 2022 heavyweight season.
Entering 2021, one of the biggest PFL acquisitions was Fabricio Werdum. PFL has been really trying to bring in big names to increase the viewership and get a brighter spot light on their promotion.
They have a homegrown star like Kayla Harrison, but we’ve seen them bring in big free agents. Free agents like former UFC champions Werdum and Anthony Pettis. We’ve also seen PFL bring in guys like Rory MacDonald.
However, unfortunately for PFL, none of those free agent signings have really paid off including Werdum. Werdum was considered a favorite heading into the 2021 season. He was coming off of a big win in his final UFC fight against Alexander Gustafsson.
Werdum’s Future in PFL and MMA
Werdum was set to make his PFL debut last May in the third event of the year. Standing across from him was the dangerous Renan Ferreira. The fight was filled with controversy.
When the fight hit the ground, Werdum was able to lock in a deep triangle choke. Ferreira tried fighting it and ultimately tapped twice on Werdum’s shoulder. However, the referee didn’t see the tap.
Werdum eased up on the submission and Ferreira started blasting him with big shots ultimately ending in a TKO. At first it looked like Werdum lost his PFL debut, but the fight was later flipped to a No Contest after replays showed that Ferreira tapped.
It was a very tough break as the fight should have ended with Werdum picking up the first round win. Werdum was booked to return later in the year but withdrew from the fight and said the Ferreira situation had really impacted his motivation to fight.
Apparently, it’s still impacting him as he’s sitting out the PFL season. Werdum to Ag.Fight that he’s strongly considering hanging up the gloves after a 24 year run. He’s competed at the highest level in PFL, UFC, Strikeforce, and Pride.
Werdum has had a tremendous career and if it’s over, he will go down in history as one of the best. Of course, despite being a UFC champion, he will forever be known as the first man to truly defeat the legend Fedor Emelianenko.