Junior dos Santos has pulled out of his scheduled grappling match against Fabricio Werdum. No reason for the withdrawal has been disclosed.
A planned grappling contest between Brazilian heavyweights Junior dos Santos and Fabricio Werdum has fallen apart after dos Santos withdrew from the bout. No reason for the pullout has been made public.
Dos Santos, known as "Cigano," is a 42-year-old former UFC heavyweight champion who compiled a professional MMA record of 21 wins and 9 losses. Standing six-foot-four with a 77-inch reach, he built his reputation as one of the sport's most dangerous strikers, averaging 4.49 significant strikes landed per minute over his career. His grappling credentials are considerably lighter — he averaged just 0.3 takedowns per 15 minutes and only 0.1 submission attempts in the same window, making a pure grappling setting an unusual stage for him.
Werdum, nicknamed "Vai Cavalo," is a 48-year-old submission specialist who holds a record of 24 wins, 9 losses, and 1 draw. Also standing six-foot-four with a 77-inch reach, the orthodox Brazilian has long been regarded as one of the finest grapplers the heavyweight division has produced. He averaged 1.2 submission attempts per 15 minutes across his MMA career and supplements that ground game with 1.75 takedowns per 15 minutes and a striking accuracy of 52 percent.
Why it matters
- Werdum's grappling pedigree made this an intriguing stylistic test for dos Santos, whose submission numbers suggest limited experience in that environment.
- The withdrawal leaves Werdum without an opponent for a matchup that had the potential to draw considerable interest from fans of both fighters.
- No replacement opponent or rescheduled date has been announced, leaving the event's status uncertain.
