Former UFC Champ Fabricio Werdum No Longer Under PFL Contract

It was a short stint in the Professional Fighters League for Fabricio Werdum.

The former UFC heavyweight champion announced during an interview with Canal Encarada that he has fulfilled the terms of his contract with the organization and is free to pursue other offers.

“My contract with PFL is over,” Werdum said (translation via MMAFighting.com). “I did that fight and had all that problem, and stayed out for two years. Not because of that [loss], but I’ve been doing this for 25 years. I needed this time off, and the contract ended.”

The 45-year-old Brazilian competed just once under the PFL banner. It was a controversial bout, as “Vai Cavalo” initially suffered a first-round technical knockout loss to Renan Ferreira on May 6, 2021, but the result was overturned to a no contest because Ferreira appeared to tap to a triangle choke from Werdum moments earlier. Referee Keith Peterson did not see the initial tap, however.

Werdum later withdrew from the 2021 PFL season as a result of damage suffered in that bout, and he has not competed for the league since then. Werdum said that he is not retired from MMA, but would only compete if he received the right offer.

Werdum has compiled a 24-9-1 career mark while fighting for organizations such as the UFC, Strikeforce and Pride Fighting Championships. His resume includes victories against the likes of Cain Velasquez, Mark Hunt, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Fedor Emelianenko and Alistair Overeem, among others.