Tag: Fabricio Werdum

GFL says Fabricio Werdum out, wishes ex-UFC champ well ‘on his post-MMA journey’

Fabricio Werdum’s time in the Global Fight League apparently is over.

[autotag]Fabricio Werdum[/autotag]’s time in the Global Fight League apparently is over.

The promotion posted on social media Thursday that Werdum (24-10-1) is out of the GFL’s first season due to an injury. But earlier in the week, it was reported that Werdum said he lost interest in the fight after fellow former UFC heavyweight champ Frank Mir announced a surgery and pulled out of their planned matchup.

Werdum, from Brazil, will turn 48 in July. In 2024, Werdum admitted to a jiu-jitsu publication he has scarring and lesions on his brain from fighting, as well as CTE symptoms. That was about a year after a split decision loss to Junior Dos Santos in a bareknuckle MMA fight.

Werdum won the UFC heavyweight title in June 2015 in a title unification bout with Cain Velasquez, but he lost it to Stipe Miocic in his first attempted defense. His last standard rules MMA fight was in May 2021 in the PFL, but it was flipped to a no contest.

The GFL implied Werdum’s MMA career is over now, saying the promotion hopes for “a speedy recovery and all the best as he embarks on his post MMA journey.”

The GFL will officially launch as a promotion May 24 at the famed Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. A second night of fights goes down May 25 in the same venue. The GFL has promised broadcast details will be announced in April, as well as a ticket on-sale date.

The GFL is a team-based new MMA promotion with franchises, for lack of a better term, in six world cities. After a draft of eligible fighters in February, teams were assembled. In the GFL’s team system, fighters score points each bout. A finish win is worth 4, a decision win is 3, a draw is 2, a decision loss is 1 – and if you’re stopped, yourself, your team gets 0 points. Co-ed teams are made up of fighters across 10 weight-classes.

The fledgling promotion has made early waves in the industry by signing dozens and dozens of former champions, title challengers and major draws who have left the UFC, Bellator, PFL and other big promotions for GFL’s promised business model of a 50-50 revenue split with fighters.

All six GFL teams – Los Angeles, New York, London, Dubai, Sao Paulo and Miami – have fighters in action across a whopping 31 total bouts over the two days. So far, L.A. is the only city to be announced for events. Additional cities and venues for future events are expected to be announced soon.

The GFL’s first two lineups include:

GFL Los Angeles, May 24

  • Urijah Faber (LA) vs. Renan Barao (SP)
  • Anthony Pettis (MIA) vs. Benson Henderson (LON)
  • Holly Holm (NY) vs. Julia Budd (LON)
  • Chad Mendes (LA) vs. Maike Linhares (SP)
  • Derek Brunson (DUB) vs. Omari Akhmedov (DUB)
  • Sage Northcutt (LA) vs. Lucas Martins (SP)
  • Marlon Moraes (MIA) vs. Ray Borg (LA)
  • Aspen Ladd (LA) vs. Alejandra Lara (SP)
  • Robelis Despaigne (MIA) vs. Todd Duffee (DUB)
  • Cat Zingano (MIA) vs. Alexa Conners (DUB)
  • Neiman Gracie (NY) vs. Danny Roberts (LON)
  • Jessica Penne (LA) vs. Joice Mara (SP)
  • Charles Rosa (MIA) vs. Khumoyun Tukhtamuradov (DUB)
  • Marisa Messer-Belenchia (NY) vs. Kelly Staddon (LON)
  • Gleison Tibau (MIA) vs. Alex Oliveira (SP)

GFL Los Angeles, May 25

  • Tony Ferguson (LA) vs. Dillon Danis (NY)
  • Ovince Saint Preux (NY) vs. Alexander Gustafsson (LON)
  • Uriah Hall (LA) vs. Douglas Lima (SP)
  • Paige VanZant (MIA) vs. Randi Field (DUB)
  • Louis Glisman (LA) vs. Abubakar Nurmagomedov (DUB)
  • Ilima-Lei Macfarlane (LA) vs. Viviane Pereira (SP)
  • Alan Belcher (NY) vs. Stuart Austin (LON)
  • Thiago Santos (MIA) vs. Devin Clark (NY)
  • Lorenz Larkin (LA) vs. Carlos Petruzzella (SP)
  • Jimmie Rivera (NY) vs. Cameron Else (LON)
  • Natasha Kuziutina (MIA) vs. Jessica Aguilar (DUB)
  • Phil Hawes (NY) vs. Grant Neal (LA)
  • Kai Kamaka III (NY) vs. Mike Grundy (LON)
  • Da Woon Jung (LA) vs. Ronny Markes (DUB)
  • Miao Ding (NY) vs. Josefine Knutsson (LON)

GFL draft results: Former UFC champions surprise with unexpected entries

Check out the GFL Draft results and see which of the hottest free agents and MMA legends were selected to compete in the inaugural year.

It’s not every day there’s an MMA draft, but Friday there was

The 2025 GFL Draft took place virtually with a live stream on MMA Junkie. Six teams, each representing a major city, drafted from a pool of approximately 500 fighters, including big-name free agents and rising prospects.

One-hundred-twenty athletes were be selected across 10 weight classes (heavyweight, light heavyweight, middleweight, welterweight, lightweight, featherweight, bantamweight, women’s bantamweight, women’s strawweight, and women’s atomweight). However, the weight classes are divided slightly differently than the traditional weight classes. The promotion says it’s an effort to combat weight cutting.

Click here to see which fighters are eligible for the draft.

The six teams are managed and coached by MMA notables, as follows: Dubai (manager Cain Velasquez and coach Javier Mendez); London (manager Luke Barnatt and coach Carl Prince); Los Angeles (manager Wanderlei Silva and coach Rafael Cordeiro); Miami (manager Thiago Alves and coach Conan Silveira); New York (manager TBA and coach Ray Longo); and Sao Paulo (manager Lyoto Machida and coach Andre Pederneiras.

While a specific date has yet to be revealed, the promotion says it will launch in April with regular season, semi-finals, and finals events held throughout the year.

The 2025 GFL Draft results are as follows:

Round 1

  • Pick 1 (Team Dubai): Tyron Woodley
  • Pick 2 (Team Los Angeles): Sage Northcutt
  • Pick 3 (Team London): Gegard Mousasi
  • Pick 4 (Miami): Junior Dos Santos
  • Pick 5 (Sao Paulo): Fabricio Werdum
  • Pick 6 (New York): Kevin Lee

Round 2

  • Pick 7 (New York): Chris Weidman
  • Pick 8 (Sao Paulo): Douglas Lima
  • Pick 9 (Miami): Anthony Pettis
  • Pick 10 (London): Alexander Gustafsson
  • Pick 11 (Los Angeles): Aspen Ladd
  • Pick 12 (Dubai): Abubakar Nurmagomedov

Round 3

  • Pick 13 (Dubai): Derek Brunson
  • Pick 14 (Los Angeles): Tony Ferguson
  • Pick 15 (London): Josefine Knutsson
  • Pick 16 (Miami): Yoel Romero
  • Pick 17 (Sao Paulo): Carlos Petruzzella
  • Pick 18 (New York): Holly Holm

Round 4

  • Pick 19 (New York): Melissa Amay
  • Pick 20 (Sao Paulo): Camilia Reynoso
  • Pick 21 (Miami): Natasha Kuizutina
  • Pick 22 (London): Brett Johns
  • Pick 23 (Los Angeles): Urijah Faber
  • Pick 24 (Dubai): Ali Isaev

Full team reveal (following Round 5):

Team Dubai

  • [autotag]Anastasia Nikolakakos[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Jessica Aguilar[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Faine Mesquita[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Randi Field[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Alexa Conners[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Arlene Blencowe[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Farbod Iran Nezhad[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Timur Valiev[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Adilet Nurmatov[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Khumoyun Tukhtamurodov[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Damir Ismagulov[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Tofiq Musayev[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Abubakar Nurmagomedov[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Tyron Woodley[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Derek Brunson[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Luke Rockhold[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Omari Akhmedov[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Ronny Markes[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Ali Isaev[/autotag] (heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Todd Duffee[/autotag] (heavyweight)

Team Los Angeles

  • [autotag]Cory McKenna[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Jessica Penne[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Ilima-Lei Macfarlane[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Cynthia Calvillo[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Aspen Ladd[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Leslie Smith[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Ray Borg[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Urijah Faber[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Chad Mendes[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Tyler Diamond[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Sage Northcutt[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Lorenz Larkin[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Louis Glismann[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Grant Neal[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Uriah Hall[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Da Woon Jung[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Rashad Evans[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Frank Mir[/autotag] (heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Andrei Arlovski[/autotag] (heavyweight)

Team London

  • [autotag]Chiara Penco[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Kelly Staddon[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Josefine Knutsson[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Karolina Owczarz[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Julia Budd[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Pannie Kianzad[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Cameron Else[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Josh Hill[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Brett Johns[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Mike Grundy[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Tim Wilde[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Danny Roberts[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Norman Parke[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Gegard Mousasi[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Mariusz Ksiazkiewicz[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Alexander Gustafsson[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Ilir Latifi[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Stuart Austin[/autotag] (heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Tanner Boser[/autotag] (heavyweight)

Team Miami

  • [autotag]Kayla Hracho[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Natasha Kuziutina[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Hannah Goldy[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Paige VanZant[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Cat Zingano[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Mariya Agapova[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Eric Shelton[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Marlon Moraes[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Andre Harrison[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Charles Rosa[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Jeremy Stephens[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Dilano Taylor[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Gleison Tibau[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Hector Lombard[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Philipe Lins[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Thiago Santos[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Robelis Despaigne[/autotag] (heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Junior Dos Santos[/autotag] (heavyweight)

Team Sao Paulo

  • [autotag]Joice Mara[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Pamela Mara[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Camila Reynoso[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Viviane Araujo[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Alejandra Lara[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Paula Bittencourt[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Raphael Assuncao[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Renan Barao[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Julio Arce[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Maike Linhares[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Patricky Freire[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Lucas Martins[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Alex Oliveira[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Carlos Petruzzella[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Alan Patrick[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Douglas Lima[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Antonio Carlos Junior[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Mauricio Rua[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Bruno Cappelozza[/autotag] (heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Fabricio Werdum[/autotag] (heavyweight)

Team New York

  • [autotag]Bi Nguyen[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Marisa Messer-Belenchia[/autotag] (atomweight)
  • [autotag]Melissa Amaya[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Miao Ding[/autotag] (strawweight)
  • [autotag]Holly Holm[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Liana Jojua[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Jimmie Rivera[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Zviad Lazishvili[/autotag] (bantamweight)
  • [autotag]Lance Palmer[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Kai Kamaka III[/autotag] (featherweight)
  • [autotag]Sidney Outlaw[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Kevin Lee[/autotag] (lightweight)
  • [autotag]Neiman Gracie[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Dillon Danis[/autotag] (welterweight)
  • [autotag]Phillip Hawes[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Chris Weidman[/autotag] (middleweight)
  • [autotag]Devin Clark[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Ovince Saint Preux[/autotag] (light heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Fabricio Werdum[/autotag] (heavyweight)
  • [autotag]Aleksei Oleinik[/autotag] (heavyweight)

Video: Is MMA’s newest player, the Global Fight League, set to fail or succeed?

Global Fight League has announced its launch. Will it work in MMA? We discuss on the latest episode of “Spinning Back Clique.”

There appears to be a new player in town.

That’s right, a new MMA promotion has emerged, and it’s looking to put on fights at the top level. Global Fight League announced its launch last week, revealing that it will begin operations in early 2025 and will feature numerous notable names in the sport.

GFL’s roster includes names such as: [autotag]Tyron Woodley[/autotag], [autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag], [autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag], [autotag]Gegard Mousasi[/autotag], [autotag]Wanderlei Silva[/autotag], Frank Mir, [autotag]Andrei Arlovski[/autotag], [autotag]Kevin Lee[/autotag], [autotag]Fabricio Werdum[/autotag], and [autotag]Junior Dos Santos[/autotag] and many others.

How strong is GFL’s roster? What names stand out? Could this promotion find success in a very difficult MMA industry?

MMA Junkie’s Brian “Goze” Garcia, Mike Bohn, Danny Segura and host “Gorgeous” George discuss the announcement of the GFL launch, along with its initial roster.

Watch their discussion in the video above, and don’t miss this week’s complete episode of “Spinning Back Clique” below on YouTube.

https://youtube.com/live/QvKtS8RXBbs

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Global Fight League announces launch, roster includes giant list of former UFC fighters

GFL has arrived – and it’s bringing fairly massive names from UFC yesteryears with it.

A new player has entered the MMA landscape, and it has arrived with some big names.

Wednesday, Global Fight League (GFL) announced its official launch will come in the opening weeks of 2025. The GFL concept differs from that of UFC and PFL.

While it has a league format and playoffs, it is also team-based and has a draft. There will be six franchises (names and cities to follow). The draft is scheduled for Jan. 24, with an inaugural event to follow in April.

Who’s fighting?

Co-founder Darren Owen revealed on “The Ariel Helwani Show” on Wednesday that the promotion has over 300 fighters under contract. Not all fighters will be drafted.

Of the 92 fighters posted to the promotion’s official website, 45 of them are former UFC fighters. Names include Tyron Woodley, Anthony Pettis, Benson Henderson, Gegard Mousasi, Wanderlei Silva, Frank Mir, Andrei Arlovski, Kevin Lee, Fabricio Werdum, and Junior Dos Santos among others.

Scroll below to see the released names:

  • [autotag]Marcel Adur[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Amirkhon Alikhuzhaev[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Andrei Arlovski[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Omar Arteaga[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Stuart Austin[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Renan Barao[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Deberson Batista[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Raimundo Batista[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Stephen Beaumont[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Alan Belcher[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Tanner Boser[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Claudeci Brito[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Will Brooks[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Yan Cabral[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Alexsandro Cangaty[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Pedro Carvalho[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Rafael Carvalho[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Alexa Conners[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Kyle Daukaus[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Ayton de Paepe[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Patrizio de Souza[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Robelis Despaigne[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Marcelo Dias[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Miao Ding[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Junior Dos Santos[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Cameron Else[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Tonya Evinger[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Kalindra Faria[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Marciano Ferreira[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Chauncey Foxworth[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Glaico Franca[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Alexander Gustafsson[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Greg Hardy[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Andre Harrison[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Phil Hawes[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Guto Inocente[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Michael Irizarry[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Bubba Jenkins[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Pannie Kianzad[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Ilir Latifi[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Kevin Lee[/autotag]
  • [autotag]William Lima[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Philipe Lins[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Hector Lombard[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Ruan Machado[/autotag]
  • [autotag]John Makdessi[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Lucas Martins[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Aleksandr Maslov[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Jordan Mein[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Dominick Meriweather[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Frank Mir[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Silvania Monteiro[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Marlon Moraes[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Killys Motta[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Gegard Mousasi[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Bi Nguyen[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Abubakar Nurmagomedov[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Ayinda Octave[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Aleksei Oleinik[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Renan Oliveira[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Sidney Outlaw[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Karolina Owczarz[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Oscar Ownsworth[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Denis Palancica[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Rousimar Palharaes[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Lance Palmer[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Chiara Penco[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Markus Perez[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Jefferson Pontes[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Jimmie Rivera[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Luke Rockhold[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Charles Rosa[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Thiago Santos[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Cleiton Silva[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Wanderlei Silva[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Emiliano Sordi[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Julio Spadaccini[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Andre Soukhamthath[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Roggers Souza[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Gabriel Souza Galindo[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Jeremy Stephens[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Mohamed Tarek Mohey[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Diego Teixeira[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Oli Thompson[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Francisco Trinaldo[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Austin Tweedy[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Feruz Usmonov[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Fabricio Werdum[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Jozef Wittner[/autotag]
  • [autotag]Tyron Woodley[/autotag]

What does GFL provide athletes that other promotions don’t?

According to Owen, GFL offers fighters a 50-50 split in revenue sharing. Additionally, the promotion provides comprehensive support for training and medical bills, retirement benefits, insurance coverage, and more.

Who is behind GFL and where is the money coming from?

Owen is listed as the co-founder and commissioner for GFL and serves essentially as the public face for the promotion. He served as COO of PFL vs. October 2015 to May 2020 and was the founder and CEO of World Series of Fighting Canada, according to his LinkedIn page.

Also listed on the promotion’s website are Arun Parimi (co-founder and COO), Scott Parker (CMO), and Jeffrey Pollack (senior advisor).

Owen declined to identify the source of the funds behind the operation, but did say it’s a silicon valley investor.

How does the regular season work?

Similarly to PFL, GFL has a point system for regular season fights.

A finish victory notches a fighter’s team four points. A decision win earns three points. A draw earns two points. A decision loss earns one point. If a fighter loses by finish, he or she walks away with zero points.

Gamebred Bareknuckle 5 results: Junior Dos Santos bloodies Fabricio Werdum in bizarre split decision

A judge scored the main event of Gamebred Bareknuckle 5 for Fabricio Werdum, but Junior Dos Santos rightfully walked away with the win.

For the second occasion, former UFC heavyweight champions [autotag]Junior Dos Santos[/autotag] and Fabricio Werdum met inside a cage. This time there were no gloves shrouding their fists, but once again, Dos Santos would emerge the victor.

The bareknuckle MMA bout headlined Gamebread Bareknuckle 5, which took place Friday at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. After three rounds of action, Dos Santos earned two 30-27 scorecards from the cageside judges. Somehow, a judge thought Werdum won two rounds with a 28-29 score, causing the official result to be a split decision.

After feeling each other out in the opening moments, Werdum got the action started with a high kick that Dos Santos blocked. They then traded leg kicks, but Dos Santos knocked Werdum off his feet. Not rushing the action, he allowed Werdum to get back up and then Dos Santos began stalking forward, landing some quick left jabs, which would prove to be the weapon of choice throughout the fight.

During a takedown sequence toward the end of the first round, a cut was opened over the right of Werdum. Dos Santos then clipped Werdum with a right hand that sent him to the canvas.

Werdum struggled to connect with strikes and complete takedowns as Dos Santos was very sharp defensively. Aside from a nice right hand in the second round, Werdum spent most of the fight watching out for fast punches and hard kicks incoming from his opponent.

Later in the fight, a cut was opened over the left eye of Werdum, causing the referee to step in and look closely with concern.

In what felt like a clear victory for Dos Santos, somehow one judge caused eyebrows to raise as the first score that was read by the announcer was a 29-28 in Werdum’s favor. Sanity was restored when the next two scores announced were 30-27s for Dos Santos.

The matchup marked a return to action for both heavyweights following lengthy periods of inactivity. Dos Santos was last in action over 15 months ago, when his shoulder popped out at Eagle FC 47, leading to a TKO loss vs. Yorgan de Castro. Werdum’s previous appearance was under the PFL banner 28 months ago, but his fight against Renan Ferreira has since been overturned to a no contest.

The bout was the second meeting between Dos Santos and Werdum. They first fought at UFC 90 in 2008, where Dos Santos stopped Werdum with punches in the first round. It was also the first time both fighters competed bareknuckle.

You can watch a full replay of the fight in the video above.

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Gamebred Bareknuckle 5 live stream and official results

Watch the live stream of Gamebred Bareknuckle 5 and keep up with live official results right here on MMA Junkie.

Gamebred Bareknuckle 5 took place Friday and MMA Junkie kept you covered with a live stream and official results.

The bareknuckle MMA event took place at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla., and featured a heavyweight showdown between a pair of former UFC champions [autotag]Junior dos Santos[/autotag] and [autotag]Fabricio Werdum[/autotag].

The matchup marked a return to action for both heavyweight legends following lengthy periods of inactivity. Dos Santos was last in action over 15 months ago, when his shoulder popped out at Eagle FC 47, leading to a TKO loss vs. Yorgan de Castro. Werdum’s last appearance was under the PFL banner 28 months ago, but his fight against Renan Ferreira has since been overturned to a no contest.

It was also the second meeting between Dos Santos and Werdum, as they first met at UFC 90 in 2008, and the first bareknuckle competition for both fighters.

Aside from the marquee bout, the event featured a number of UFC veterans in action including Maki Pitolo, Brandon Jenkins, Anthony Njokuani, Irwin Rivera, Joshua Weems and Brandon Davis.

You can watch a replay of the full event in the video above and check out the official results below.

Full results of Gamebred Bareknuckle 5 include:

  • Junior Dos Santos def. Fabricio Werdum via split decision (28-29, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Joel Bauman def. Maki Pitolo via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 2:36
  • Joshua Weems def. Irwin Rivera via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Ago Huskic def. Brandon Davis via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Anthony Njokuani def. Brandon Jenkins via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Joey Ruquet def. Joe Penafiel via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 3:01
  • Jhonasky Sojo def. Tyler Hill via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:52
  • Reggie Northrup def. Cody Herbert via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Shahzaib Rind def. Carlos Guerra via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 2:40
  • Juan Alvarez def. Christopher Wingate via submission (heel hook) – Round 1, 0:13

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Fabricio Werdum wanted Vale Tudo rules for Junior Dos Santos fight at Gamebred Bareknuckle 5

Fabricio Werdum wanted to go all in against Junior Dos Santos at Gamebred Bareknuckle 5 – and he *really* meant all in.

[autotag]Fabricio Werdum[/autotag] wanted to go all in against Junior Dos Santos – and he really meant all in.

Werdum returns to action Friday night as he takes on fellow former UFC heavyweight champion Dos Santos in the main event of Gamebred Bareknuckle 5.

Yes, that’s right, bareknuckle MMA. And although this might be too far for some fighters, Werdum actually wanted to take things a step further and fight Dos Santos under Vale Tudo rules – a popular fighting style that preceded MMA where almost everything goes.

“The first time I saw (Jorge) Masvidal, which was like two months ago in Las Vegas, I told him that I wanted to do Vale Tudo so we could headbutt, do soccer kicks, stomps, everything,” Werdum told MMA Junkie in Spanish. “However, he told me that there wasn’t enough time to look into changing the rules. But anyway, I do like this idea.

“I think that MMA gloves are so small that it doesn’t make a difference. It’s the same. It’s the same to have gloves or no gloves. Now, if it’s a boxing glove, then you’ve got a difference. But I do like this idea.”

The bout against Dos Santos marks the first time Werdum will fight since May 2021 when he originally lost by TKO to Renan Ferreira under the PFL banner. The result would later get overturned to a no contest after the New Jersey Athletic Commission determined Ferreira tapped out to a triangle choke applied by Werdum before the finish.

Werdum, now 46, isn’t sure if he’ll fight beyond Friday. He feels good and healthy, but there are other factors that could sway him away from competition.

“If it was up to my wife, Karine, I wouldn’t fight,” Werdum said. “She’s sick of me fighting and being away from home. It’s been two months since I haven’t seen my family and my wife, so I do need to think about that. I’m 46 years old, but I do feel great.

“I needed that break of being two years plus without fighting because I wanted to do this. This was for me. And I’m good. My brain is good. I’m not affected or have any big injuries. To be honest, I feel good. However, I do need to think about it. Right now I only have this fight in mind on Sept. 8 and then after I’ll think about something else. I think, I don’t know. I can’t say right now I’m retiring.

“If there’s a good offer like this one, this offer I couldn’t say no. I would’ve been crazy if I would’ve said no thanks because the offer was really good. And not only that, I enjoy fighting. Fighting is what I do. I have other businesses, but this is what I know how to do best.”

Werdum confirmed to MMA Junkie that he’s no longer under contract with PFL, but he doesn’t rule out a return.

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Video: Junior Dos Santos, Fabricio Werdum in great physical shape at Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA faceoff

Junior Dos Santos and Fabricio Werdum came face-to-face ahead of Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA – two of eight UFC alumni on the card.

Former UFC heavyweight champions [autotag]Junior Dos Santos[/autotag] and [autotag]Fabricio Werdum[/autotag] squared off for the final time ahead of their main event fight at Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA – and they both appeared to be in great physical shape.

Other UFC alumni present at the faceoffs, set to compete Saturday at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla., included [autotag]Brandon Jenkins[/autotag], [autotag]Anthony Njokuani[/autotag], [autotag]Brandon Davis[/autotag], [autotag]Joshua Weems[/autotag], [autotag]Irwin Rivera[/autotag], and [autotag]Maki Pitolo[/autotag].

Of course, promoter Jorge Masvidal was on hand, too, as he squared off each pairing of fighters. The event will stream live and free on MMA Junkie.

Dos Santos and Werdum rematch – without gloves – nearly 15 years after they fought one another at UFC 90 in October 2008. As a heavy underdog, Dos Santos knocked out Werdum in 81 seconds and kicked off a run in the promotion that would lead directly to the heavyweight title.

The winner of Saturday’s fight will face the winner of the promotion’s inaugural heavyweight title bout between Roy Nelson and Alan Belcher, which takes place Oct. 28 at a date and location to be announced.

The full Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA lineup includes:

  • Junior Dos Santos vs. Fabricio Werdum
  • Joel Bauman vs. Maki Pitolo
  • Irwin Rivera vs. Joshua Weems
  • Brandon Davis vs. Ago Huskic
  • Brandon Jenkins vs. Anthony Njokuani
  • Joe Penafiel vs. Joey Ruquet
  • Tyler Hill vs. Jhonasky Soto
  • Corey Herbert vs. Reggie Northrup
  • Juan Alvarez vs. Chase Wingate
  • Carlos Guerra vs. Shahzaib Rindh

UFC alums Roy Nelson, Alan Belcher to fight for Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA heavyweight title

According to Jorge Masvidal, the winner of Junior Dos Santos vs. Fabricio Werdum will face the winner of Roy Nelson vs. Alan Belcher.

Two days out from a bareknuckle battle between former UFC heavyweight champions [autotag]Junior Dos Santos[/autotag] and [autotag]Fabricio Werdum[/autotag], Gamebred Boxing promoter Jorge Masvidal has announced elevated stakes.

Dos Santos and Werdum will meet in a gloveless MMA fight Friday at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. The winner, Masvidal revealed at a news conference Wednesday, will face the winner of another heavyweight bareknuckle MMA fight, [autotag]Alan Belcher[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Roy Nelson[/autotag], freshly minted for an Oct. 28 show at Mississippi Coast Coliseum in Biloxi, Miss.

Nelson vs. Belcher will be for the promotion’s heavyweight title. No other fights have been announced for the Oct. 28 event at this time.

“The winner of that will face the winner of this sometime in January, we’re hopeful,” Masvidal said. “Hard Rock Stadium. Hard Rock Casino. We’ll keep these guys busy, just as we promised them. That’s f*cking huge news. We’re excited.”

Masvidal also revealed plans to hold an event in December.

Nelson headlined a Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA event in May when he knocked out bareknuckle boxing standout Dillon Cleckler in Round 1. The competition was Nelson’s first since his Bellator departure in late 2020. Nelson competed in the UFC from 2010-2017 and compiled a 9-10 promotional record.

In joining Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA, Belcher has departed BKFC, a promotion he was a part of since 2021. Belcher competed in the UFC from 2006-2013 and compiled a 9-6 promotional record, largely at middleweight. After eight years away from competition, Belcher returned as a heavyweight and has yet to lose. Belcher was 4-0 under the BKFC banner while also competing outside the promotion in traditional boxing where he won five pro bout and one exhibition.

Photos: Junior Dos Santos, Fabricio Werdum face off at Gamebred Bareknuckle press conference

Check out these photos of Junior Dos Santos and Fabricio Werdum facing off ahead of their Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA fight.

Check out these photos of former UFC heavyweight champions [autotag]Junior Dos Santos[/autotag] and [autotag]Fabricio Werdum[/autotag] facing off ahead of their Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA fight at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. (Photos courtesy of Gamebred Bareknuckle)