Dana White officially announced the signing of PRIDE heavyweight contender Fabricio Werdum at today’s press conference for April 21st’s UFC 70, live from Manchester, England.
Werdum, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu champion who trains with Mirko Cro Cop and sports a 9-2-1 record in MMA, will face former UFC Heavyweight Champion Andrei Arlovski in an intriguing battle at the UFC’s first card in the UK since July 2002. Also announced for the card was Forrest Griffin vs. Ryoto Machida in what could decide another top contender for Chuck Liddell’s Light-Heavyweight crown. The show is expected to be main evented by Mirko Cro Cop’s fight with Gabriel ‘Napao’ Gonzaga, which was also officially announced today, along with Michael Bisping taking on Australia’s Elvis Sinosic.
The big news, though, is undoubtedly the signing of Werdum. “I’m not done yet”, White was quoted as saying in regards to signing talent from PRIDE. “PRIDE is in deep trouble. We’ve snatched away half their guys and I’m not done yet”. While rumors of other PRIDE fighters – such as the Nogueira brothers, Ricardo Arona, and Takanori Gomi – jumping to UFC have thus far proven to be just that – rumors – the signing of Werdum shows that it may not be as easy to dismiss these talks in the future.
