Werdum Will Hunt Down Vera, Steal ONE Title

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Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum is hoping to score a Fedor Emelianenko rematch under the Bellator MMA banner, but if that legendary rematch never comes to pass, then “Vai Cavalo” is willing to settle for the next best thing.

The ONE Championship heavyweight title.

That would require a showdown against current ONE 265-pound titleholder Brandon Vera, who tried to capture the promotion’s light heavyweight crown last October, only to get smoked by “Burmese Python” Aung La N Sang in the second stanza.

“Brandon Vera is my son, man,” Werdum told MMA Junkie. “I beat him. He is my son. He is scared, for sure. When I go to ONE FC, I’ll take his belt. Maybe not even fight – just give me the belt, please. I love belts. This is a beautiful belt. I’m just waiting for Ali to say something, but I’m ready.”

Werdum (24-9-1) defeated Vera (16-8, 1 NC) by way of first-round technical knockout when they first went to war back in June 2008, part of the UFC 85 pay-per-view (PPV) event that also featured since-retired ex-champions Matt Hughes and Michael Bisping.

And with “Vai Cavalo” finishing up his UFC contract earlier this year, it’s now a matter of choosing the right promotion, a task that falls to manager Ali Abdelaziz. Either way, it sounds like Werdum is headed for a rematch.