Real jiu-jitsu masters’ skills stay with them long after the best at other disciplines start to fade. And few are better at the grappling craft than former UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum.
Werdum (24-9-1 MMA, 12-6 UFC), who turns 43 next week, showed he can still get the job done at a high level on the mat, as he spoiled the heavyweight debut of Alexander Gustafsson on Saturday night.
An armbar got the tap at 2:30 of the opening round of their main card fight at Flash Forum in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, as Werdum won for the first time since 2017 after serving a U.S. Anti-Doping Agency suspension.
“This is the strategy. I am very happy,” Werdum said. “This is a very important fight for me. I’ve been waiting a long time.”
Gustafsson (18-7 MMA, 10-7 UFC) looked to impose his will in the standup early. But as soon as he stung Werdum, the Brazilian looked to take it to the mat. Gustafsson sprawled the initial takedown attempt, but Werdum doggedly stuck with it and eventually hauled him down.
From there, it was a matter of time. Gustafsson did his best to hold on and lock his arms together to prevent the amrbar, but Werdum kept improving position until he finally broke Gustafsson’s grip. Gustafsson wasted little time tapping.
It was the 12th career submission victory for Werdum, who was on the final fight of his UFC contract, and it snapped a two-fight losing streak.
Gustafsson, the former three-time light heavyweight title challenger, was fighting for the first time since announcing his retirement last year. He’s dropped three in a row, all via stoppage.
Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 14 results include:
- Fabricio Werdum def. Alexander Gustafsson via submission (armbar) — Round 1, 2:30
- Carla Esparza def. Marina Rodriguez via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27)
- Paul Craig def. Gadzhimurad Antigulov via submission (triangle choke) – Round 1, 2:06
- Alex Oliveira def. Peter Sobotta via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Khamzat Chimaev def. Rhys McKee via TKO (ground-and-pound) – Round 1, 3:09
- Francisco Trinaldo def. Jai Herbert via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 1:30
- Jesse Ronson def. Nicolas Dalby via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 2:48
- Tom Aspinall def. Jake Collier via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 0:45
- Movsar Evloev def. Mike Grundy via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Tanner Boser def. Raphael Pessoa via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 2:36
- Pannie Kianzad def. Bethe Correia via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Ramazan Emeev def. Niklas Stolze via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Nathaniel Wood def. John Castaneda via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
