As fans hold their breath for Francis Ngannou’s highly-anticipated PFL debut, his fellow former UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum surprisingly called him out. For Werdum’s longtime coach and Kings MMA founder, Rafael Cordeiro, it’s the fight to make, especially for the PFL.“Sure. Why not?,” Cordeiro said of Werdum vs. Ngannou. “Fabricio, he was a former UFC champ. His background, everybody knows, his history, so why not? PFL needs fights like that.”
“As soon as they’re locked in the octagon, it’s 50-50,” the coach assessed. “People say, ‘Who is a underdog? Who is the favorite?’ This is just for bets. I believe it’s 50-50 and everything, If Fabricio may have a chance to submit him, why not?”
“I believe Fabricio matches very well,” he continued. “If they had to choose somebody, I believe Fabricio is the name to put there and to prove he’s still in the game. I believe the best time of his career is right now. We talk about physical… he never had that shape… he’s super excited to be back and fight. At 45 years old, the shape that he has, the techniques that he has, for sure Fabricio can be a great fight for Francis.”
“I believe Fabricio matches very well,” he continued. “If they had to choose somebody, I believe Fabricio is the name to put there and to prove he’s still in the game. I believe the best time of his career is right now. We talk about physical… he never had that shape… he’s super excited to be back and fight. At 45 years old, the shape that he has, the techniques that he has, for sure Fabricio can be a great fight for Francis.”
Cordeiro went on and pointed out that no matter what people say, Werdum and Ngannou is a “50-50” match.
Speaking to MMA Junkie, Cordeiro said he is all-in on Werdum’s decision to step up and face “The Predator.” Despite the Brazilian being 45 years old, Cordeiro thinks “Vai Cavalo” is still fit and equipped with the right tools to match Ngannou.
Werdum has not fought professionally since 2021 but he is confident he already figured out Ngannou. According to “Vai Cavalo,” the Nigerian has “a lot of holes in his game” and he could definitely expose it. Werdum last fought in the regular season of PFL in 2021 where he initially lost to Renan Ferreira via TKO and was later overturned to No Contest.Nothing is concrete yet but Ngannou previously said that he would be working on a boxing match first before making his PFL debut.
