Over a year removed from his latest UFC appearance, it seems as though Fabricio Werdum is finally preparing for a return to the octagon.
Frustrated by a two-year suspension, Werdum’s MMA career seemed somewhat in question but according to his manager Ali Abdelaziz, the former Heavyweight Champion is now ready to take the necessary steps for a comeback. Firstly, that included re-entering the USADA testing pool.
“Fabricio is going to come back and be a top-five heavyweight in the world,” Ali told MMA Junkie Radio. “He’s training. He’s doing everything right . . . I believe he did not cheat at all, but the system got us . . . it’s OK. He has one more year, and he’ll be back in the cage.”
Last October, Werdum seemed less cooperative, telling Combate that USADA asked him to “tell on someone.” Werdum refused to “snitch” but maintained he “didn’t do anything” nonetheless. Back then, Werdum seemed desperate to exit his UFC contract but with two fights remaining on his deal, it appears that he’ll be returning to the sport’s premier promotion after all.
USADA is yet to respond to Abdelaziz’s comments and their current status with Werdum remains unclear. He failed his April 25th 2018 test for the steroid trenbolone and its metabolite but claimed that it was the result of a tainted supplement. That positive test pulled Werdum from a main event bout with Alexey Oleinik and further stalled his career after the Brazilian had suffered a knockout loss opposite Alexander Volkov.
Prior to that, Werdum had won three of his last four though and looked set to secure a shot at reclaiming the UFC Heavyweight Title. If he indeed returns in May 2020, Werdum’s sights will likely remain on that very task.
