Fabricio Werdum has called out Francis Ngannou for an MMA fight in the Professional Fighters League.
The MMA community has been eagerly waiting to learn what’s next for Ngannou after he parted ways with the UFC. After teasing a transition to professional boxing, it seems that ‘The Predator’ is leaning toward a return to MMA. Now that ONE Championship is out of the equation, the former UFC heavyweight champion could be signing with the PFL.
Werdum went on Twitter and offered to fight Ngannou in the PFL by saying:
“Hi @francis_ngannou I shock the world when I beat Fedor also when I beat Cain And I become undisputed UFC heavyweight champion you have a lot of hole in your game let’s go @PFLMMA @DonnDavisPFL @PeteMurrayPFL only one way to find out PFL smart cage”
Werdum parted ways with the UFC after securing a first-round submission win against Alexander Gustafsson in July 2020. A year later, ‘Vai Cavalo’ made his PFL debut, which ended in disaster.
In the first round against Renan Ferreira, Werdum made his opponent tap out with a triangle choke, which the referee missed. He let go of the submission, and Ferreira turned things around before ending the fight with a second-round TKO. The bout was later turned into a no-contest after being reviewed.
Two years later, Werdum announced that his PFL contract had expired.
Hi @francis_ngannou I shock the world when I beat Fedor also when I beat Cain And I become undisputed UFC heavyweight champion you have a lot of hole in your game let’s go @PFLMMA @DonnDavisPFL @PeteMurrayPFL only one way to find out PFL smart cage
— Fabricio Werdum (@FabricioWerdum) May 4, 2023
Jorge Masvidal teases Fabricio Werdum potentially competing in bare-knuckle MMA fight
Once Fabricio Werdum’s PFL contract expired, assumptions were made that the 46-year-old’s fighting career was over. With that said, ‘Vai Cavalo’ does have a backup option if he doesn’t get the fight against Francis Ngannou.
On May 5, Jorge Masvidal held a bare-knuckle MMA event in South Florida. The main event featured 46-year-old Roy Nelson pulling off an upset win against Dillon Cleckler. During the post-fight interview, Masvidal claimed that Werdum and Junior dos Santos might be matched up against Nelson and Alex Nicholson in the bare-knuckle MMA promotion:
“That was a f*cking fight. Lots of possible candidates for Mr. Roy Nelson here. Also, [Fabricio] Werdum is another possible candidate. We’re gonna offer you a lot more fights, man… Fabricio Werdum vs. one of these guys [Nelson and Alex Nicholson]. JDS [Junior Dos Santos] vs. the other. We’re gonna figure something out, man.”
Despite being 45 years old, Werdum might have more left in the tank after pictures surfaced of him looking to be in phenomenal shape. It’ll be intriguing to see what’s next for the former UFC heavyweight champion.
