Werdum explains post-fight altercation, says Miocic agreed to rematch
Fabricio Werdum had a lot to answer for after earning his second decision over Travis Browne at UFC 203 on Saturday.
The former UFC heavyweight champ vanquished Browne almost as easily as their first meeting, only this time, he saved the mockery until the fight was over. Werdum pantomimed a crybaby, which drew the ire of Browne's coach, Edmond Tarverdyan. After briefly exchanging some words, Werdum threw a front kick at Tarverdyan and the pair were promptly separated.
At the post-fight presser, the Brazilian gave his account of the altercation, claiming the coach instigated the confrontation, and that the front kick was merely meant to keep him at bay.
"After the fight, (Browne's) coach came, I don't know his name, and he said 'shut up, you motherf---er,' and after that, I don't know. You say it for me, it's okay, but never my mom. I just kept the distance (with the front kick) because I know he's a boxing coach and I could see in his eyes he wanted to punch my face, and I just kept the distance, that's it. But he came first, he said a lot of things."
The fight itself bred some strange moments as well. In the opening round, Browne broke his finger when attempting to block one of Werdum's flurries. "Hapa" turned to the referee for a timeout, but the Brazilian continued his pursuit before the fight was paused. While the injury normally wouldn't have merited a stoppage, Browne was granted some respite. As for his pursuit of the injured Browne, Werdum explained that had the referee motioned for a timeout, he would have obeyed.
The opening seconds of the fight yielded a surreal happening as well, with Werdum launching into a flying side kick that landed square on Browne's chin. "Vai Cavalo" admitted he'd kept the spectacle from his coaches, but that he'd used the technique twice before: Versus Gabriel Gonzaga in 2003, and against Alistair Overeem in 2006. Werdum won both fights.
As for his immediate future, the Brazilian wants a rematch with the man who beat him for the heavyweight title: Stipe Miocic. The champ defended the belt minutes after Werdum's fight, knocking out Alistair Overeem in the first round. Werdum told the media he'd crossed paths with Miocic post-fight, claiming he'd agreed to meet again.
"I just saw Stipe Miocic now. I (asked) for a rematch. He said 'OK,' because I think he loves me."
The two first squared off in May at UFC 198, where Miocic KO'd Werdum in under three minutes to win the strap.