Exclusive: Fabricio Werdum Says He’s Likely to Fight Alistair Overeem in March

After a hard workout at Rafael Cordeiro’s Kings MMA gym in Huntington Beach, Strikeforce heavyweight contender Fabricio Werdum sat down with CagePotato West Coast correspondent Ruben Vera to discuss his health and Strikeforce return. If all goes according to plan, Werdum says he’ll be back in March, fighting Alistair Overeem for the heavyweight title. Werdum and Overeem met once before at Pride Total Elimination Absolute in May 2006, with Werdum winning by second-round kimura. At the time, Werdum says he had zero standup training to speak of. Now, he’s a more complete fighter, and is certain that he’ll finish Overeem in the first round of their rematch. “Overeem is my son, there’s no problem” Werdum says with a laugh.

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Other notes: His elbow is in good shape, and he’s currently going through physical therapy following his recent surgery. He doesn’t consider himself the world’s #1 heavyweight after upsetting Fedor Emelianenko in June — he still thinks Fedor is #1, though Cain Velasquez is right up there. As for Saturday’s fights, Werdum predicts that his training partner Babalu Sobral will defeat Dan Henderson in the main event, and tells us to keep an eye on the undercard fighter Fernando Bettega.