Fabricio Werdum’s UFC run is officially over, as he has signed on to be a part of the Professional Fighters League’s 2021 season.
Former UFC world champion Fabricio Werdum is going to be chasing what could be one of if not the final payday when he vies for the $1 million prize in the PFL’s 2021 season. The signing brings an end to Werdum’s second tenure in the UFC, which ran for eight years. Now at 43 years of age, Werdum made the decision to crossover to the PFL. Werdum claims that his decision was made largely because the PFL provides him with an opportunity to be more active than he has been in recent years.
“It was a very good negotiation with them, and I know this event is getting very strong,” Werdum told ESPN of the PFL. “I have fought for 23 years and this is my dream. I want to fight maybe twice in one night. I love the idea. You have one fight, you win, you go again.
“Maybe this [coming] year, 2021, I fight four or five fights. This is my dream,” Werdum continued. In the past, sometimes, [I fought] just one in a year, maybe two. I want to enjoy the moment because it’s so hard for us to stop fighting. Imagine, all my life I have fought, and one day, I have to stop. For sure, I know that. Maybe two years. But imagine I’m the PFL champion at [age] 44? I know I can.”
The PFL’s 2021 season is set to begin in April. As has been the case for each of the previous seasons, there will be a regular season, playoff, and a championship round that will be held at the end of the year. The winner of each weight class’s season wins $1 million, which would be a nice retirement gift if Fabricio Werdum is set to hang them up in the near future.
Fabricio Werdum’s most recent fight was a submission victory over Alexander Gustafsson in July, making Werdum one of the rare cases of a former UFC champion exiting the promotion after a victory.
What do you think of Fabricio Werdum’s decision to join the Professional Fighting League?
