This Could Be The End For The Former Champ
USADA has caught another one.
Former heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum was formally given a two-year suspension on Tuesday due to a failed drug test earlier in the year.
Werdum was scheduled to fight Aleksei Oleinik at UFC Moscow this weekend but was pulled from the card after an out-of competition urine screening showed he had the anabolic steroid trenbolone and its metabolite epitrenbolone in his system. Mark Hunt replaced Werdum on the card and will fight Oleinki this weekend in the main event.
The 41-year-old Werdum is considered by many to be one of the greatest heavyweights in mixed-martial-arts history, so this is a huge blow to his legacy. One of Wedrum’s most notable moments was when he won the UFC heavyweight title against Cain Velasquez at UFC 188.
Wedrum’s run as champion was short lived after getting knocked in the first round to Stipe Miocic in Wedrum’s home country of Brazil in his first attempt at defending his title.
Werdum (23-8-1) has beaten some of the biggest names in the sport like Velasquez, Hunt, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Travis Browne, Roy Nelson, Gabriel Gonzaga, Alistair Overeem and perhaps the biggest win of his career, Fedor Emelianenko who hadn’t lost in nearly a decade. Werdum won that fight in just 69-seconds.
According to USADA, Wedum’s two-year suspension started retroactively on May 22 – the date of his provisional suspension. This means the earliest Werdum will be eligible to compete is on May 22, 2020 when he will be 43-years-old.
It’s not impossible for Werdum to return at that age, but it is unlikely. Wedrum has been a professional fighter for sixteen years, eighteen by the time his suspension is up. Although he’s only been knocked out of in three of his eight losses, he’s still been in some wars and endured plenty of punishment over the years. The first thing to go for a fighter is their chin so it’s hard to believe he will still be the same type of fighter we once saw in 2020 if he returns.
