Former UFC Heavyweight Champion Fabricio Werdum is battling surging heavyweight Derrick Lewis this weekend at UFC 216.
While this is a clash of top ten heavyweights, the former champion is calling the bout a no pressure situation for him.
“I have zero, zero pressure for this fight,” Werdum said at a UFC 216 media luncheon. “I lost my last fight by decision. The fans said I won the fight; I believe it, too.”
Lewis is returning from a very short self-imposed retirement, while Werdum is coming off of a loss to Alistair Overeem in their third encounter.
If Werdum gets past Lewis at UFC 216, then he is putting the pressure on himself for his next bout, which he believes will end up being for the UFC Heavyweight Title.
“I think the next one is a title shot,” Werdum said. “I hope I get a very nice submission, and I go directly to a title shot, because Stipe Miocic hasn’t fought for a very long time, and it’s not good for the heavyweight division.”
UFC 216 takes place on Saturday, October 7 from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada with Tony Ferguson and Kevin Lee headlining. Fightful is providing live coverage of the event, with a post-show podcast to follow.
