Released: Fabricio Werdum
By Josh Stein on Nov 10, 2008
Contracts are fickle. Fabricio Werdum knows that better than anyone, as he’s already been released from his contract with the UFC.
Vai Cavalo, who has wins over Gabriel Gonzaga, Brandon Vera, Aleksander Emelianenko and Alistair Overeem, was probably dropped as a result of his loss to Junior Dos Santos, and opponent that we all know he should have beaten. Werdum made the mistake of keeping the fight standing and was knocked out by a hard uppercut.
Werdum has gone from title contender to free agent, but it’s hard for me to look at this without remembering a year ago when the UFC was dropping heavyweight contracts left and right and chaos insued in the division. While Werdum may be an anomaly and not a new policy with regards to the heavyweight division, he is a pretty major loss for the UFC, all things considered.
Perhaps he wasn’t worth the cost. No one has yet released how much the UFC was going to pay him. What’s important, though, is more that the UFC veteran with a 2-2 record (his other loss came as a boring decision against Andrei Arlovski that probably resulted in the UFC’s release of Arlovski) is now on the free market, but that it opens up a lot of matchups for organizations that need a UFC veteran to promote major fights.
Vai Cavalo may be haunted, to some degree, by his loss to Dos Santos in contract negotiations, but as a BJJ world champion with an ever-improving all around game, there is a place for him in the Japanese scene, perhaps a fight with jiu-jitsu savant Roger Gracie or a fight against his former mentor Mirko CroCop. It’s hard to say where he’ll go now (perhaps to Affliction, though it’s doubtful), but I don’t imagine it’s going to be hard for him to find a contract.
Photo courtesy of PrideFC (RIP). Emails can be sent to josh@mmaopinion.com.
Comments (2)
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Fight Union?? I doubt it will happen.
Did I see this happening? No, while I think its wrong, I guess the UFC has their reasons. Hmmmm, so if you’re fighting under a real sh*tty contract but performing extremely well (win or lose) should you try to renegotiate a better contract? Hopefully GSP gets TOP Dollar because he truly deserves it and works his butt off in and out of the ring . . . it shows.
And Vera is still fighting under the same high-priced under-performing contract??
I think fighters will take notice and smarten up, Don’t get knocked out. And make sure that whether you win or lose, go out like Chris Lytle.
He wasn’t released. The fight against Santos was the last one on his current contract and he left after they couldn’t come to terms on a new contract.