Fabricio Werdum says a knee injury hindered his performance against Alistair Overeem
Posted on June 22, 2011, 03:38 PM by Joey Santosus"If you look well, you'll see that my knee got out of place in the beginning of the second round. It hurt so much, it was difficult to get up and it took a little of my focus. I will have an MRI scan and see whether it is serious and when I will be able to train. I should have had more faith in my stand-up, listened to [coach] Rafael Cordeiro. Strategically he (Overeem) was better. Perhaps, if I hadn't pulled the guard so many times, I would have won. He didn't want to go to the ground with me at all but it is an MMA fight, you have to do the ground game as well. I think it is funny that [opponents] call me to go at them and I do, but when I call them to the mat, nobody does. - MMAMania.com (via R7.com)
It appears there may have been more to the story of Fabricio Werdum's highly criticized gameplan against Alistair Overeem last Saturday night. In an unusual game of strategy, each fighter refused to deviate from there respective craft, as the Brazilian persistently pulled guard, while Overeem insisted that the fight remained standing. In the end, the judges awarded the victory to "The Reem" via unanimous decision, but fans who had expected more from the two top five ranked Heavyweights left with a bitter taste in their mouth.
According to Werdum, however, a knee injury sustained early in the bout made made it difficult for him to stand with the K-1 Kickboxing Champ. Instead, he feels Overeem's fear of going to the ground with him, a world-class Brazilian jiu-jitsu black-belt, was to blame for the lackluster affair. So what do you think LowKick'ers? Does the knee injury excuse his failure to engage? And how much of the blame should fall upon Overeem's shoulders for not following him to the mat?
Photo: Mike Dunn via Wikipedia
Comments
first one to leave a message bitches
congratulations !
I noticed Werdum did grab his knee during the fight. It was probably from throwing him self to the mat so much.
if he wants to be in the ground with overeem he should WORK for it!
they should have seen aldo homnick fight and get some inspiration.....
I agree if ur goal is to fight on the ground you need to be able to get him there not fall down and say come get me...most guys who dont want to stand up shoot or sprawl to a single and guy that stand have to be able to get up...you have to work to get it not fall down and hope comes down too....they both fought in Pride and would of definitely been a yellow.....
naw whats funny is that your making lame excuses for losing
the whole fight trying to grab a guy and pull him down on top of you in MMA is crazy being a top level fighter....was like lil brother being beat
by his older brother and hoping to take his legs out,,......or a kitten
cornered laying on its back clawing away..lol and this guy beat the king.
damn you know Fedor wants his rematch so bad
Because they are smart, Werdum's opponents are not going to just go to the ground with a BJJ world champion that wouldn't be intelligent. Simple as that.
Agreed. It's an MMA match-up and it starts on the feet.....gotta be willing to win it there if an opponent won't chance the ground game. Werdum should listen to his own words.
Fedor took his loss like a man.....you should to Fabricio.
i think werdum won the fight. outpunched reem. yeah he flopped like a fish 30 times but in the end reem really did nothing at all. he barely hit him and wouldnt engage on the ground even when he landed those few trips. Everyones quick to blame werdum but he outstruck reem even with flopping 30 times. reem should of chopped him down with leg kicks while werdum was on his back till he stood up. either way that fight showed jds and cain are the top two for sure.
and on the knee injury it looked like he really was hurt. He was grabbing it for the whole entire second round
you dont know sh*t kid. better STFU.
You are right 100% about cain and jds being the best..also werdum had no choice but to go after overeem, the fight starts on the feet not ground but even with that said werdum did beat overeem to the punch several times...overeem is overrated...would get killed in the ufc by ko for sure..def does not make the k-1 fighters look good when there champion gets out struck by a grappler. look for bigffot to reveal just how weak overeem's chin really is...
werdum lost that fight by himself, overeem was just there so they had to give the win to somebody
Outstruck? Only because Werdum wasn't delivering power behind those punches, the Reem was baiting him to the exchange. Overeem is known for absorbing and then delivering power shots after the exchange.
Troll Alert.
i think pulling guard every time you were touched was the reason
Landing girly punches doesnt win you the fight. this isnt boxing. Cage control agression and pushing the fight is why Overeem clearly won. Werdum Emberessed Brazilians and Juijitsu big time!!!
Ask Anderson Silva, Vitor Belfort, Wanderlei Silva, and a bunch of others if thats how Brazilians fight.
It is a MMA fight, learn the art of a takedown retard.
Comparing a striker in K1 with the same striker in MMA is a bad comparison. A striker in K1 doesn't need to worry about the risk of being taken down.
Werdum outstruck Overeem, not because he's a better striker, but because he did not worry about being taken down. He could let his hands go more freely.
The fight was a good chess match, both fighters were respecting each others disciplines and refused to play the other fighters' game, resulting in a decision rather than a spectacular KO finish. Something that most fans appear to be appreciating only, rather then the martial art and gameplan..
Thank you for saying something sensible.
sometimes there are exciting match that comes with decisions but watching this fight is like lay and pray standing version
his knees hurt from his bitch ass getting up from pullin guard the whole fight boo hoo
I'm sure his ass hurt too- most likely has canvas burn from all that scooting he was doing.
." I think it is funny that [opponents] call me to go at them and I do, but when I call them to the mat, nobody does. "
That is the slickest logic reversal I have seen in a while. Every fight starts on the feet--and if you have a good ground game--then you have the option to take your opponent down.
Werdum failed in almost all of his takedowns--and could not capitalize when he did succeed.
The bottom line is this is MMA and you must be able to fight anywhere, and Werdum deserved to lose just for his stalling behavior--lying on the canvas begging Overeem to give Werdum a chance to win.
A smarter fighter would have adjusted his gameplan, and realized that his strikes were landing because his opponent was totally focused on stuffing the takedown--but Werdum kept beating the dead horse--oblivious to the striking possibilities.
And let's not forget why Werdum did not engage in striking back and forth, but attacked to set up the takedown--he knew Overeem would knock him out if he stood and traded too much..
Sure, maybe if he hadn't flopped into guard at every opportunity, he might have eked out a decision based on points (not damage) in striking, but if he had not been flopping around so much, Reem might have knocked him out. Werdum was totally gassed by the end of three rounds--and Reem was also spent from all the inconclusive grappling.
If Werdum plays games like that in future fights--I really don't want to see his fights.
BTW: I would have written a better comment except that I have a finger injury which prevents me from showing my best writing skills. If my finger was in better shape, my comment would have blown you away. It is what it is.
overeem needs to step his game up period...also i agree i would not watch his fights anymore either...flopping like a fish out of water was pathetic...
I think the sand up his vagina made him lose focus
The difference between what he is asking for, and what Overeem was asking every time he let them up, are 2 very different things. Standing up is the neutral position in MMA. That is why fights start on the feet. You want him on the ground? Take him down.
Its the fighters are to impose there will useing the techniques of there respective disciplines provides them with. That being said in order for werdum do just thathe needs to take his opponant to the mat fights dont start lying on your back even in BJJ. Werdum is classless in saying Overeems reluctance to go down to the mat with him stalled the fight. Realality is Werdum diddn't have the technicle skill to take Overeem there and keep him there. Mark Munoz is probably embarrassed Werdum said he trains with him everyday, Because it looked like he diddn't even know what wrestleing was. But keep your chin up Werdum you probably hold the world record for a person laying on there back and standing up in a 15 minute time period or at least share the record with Demian Mia.
sorry I rushed the typing but im sure its somewhat ledgeable
I wish I knew the jerk who keeps "Weaking" on peoples comments
Werdum dont make excuses you were on your back since the fight started, but i have to say Alistar also was part of the fault for the fight
He did not engage on the stand up, Werdum even land more strikes than Overeem did, he look shy and let Werdum even clinch him and upper cut him a few times, lets just hope he fights better next time.
I think I heard a similar excuse like before. Like a staph infection maybe? :D
The difference with "staph infection" is that he still won the fight.
He should take a page out of Shogun's book and be humble. Coming with excuses(whether it's true or not) after the fact is weak. I'd understand if he won and said "AND I did it with a bad knee," but that is obviously not the case here. He's lucky it wasn't the UFC where he possibly would've gotten kicked out a second time. I like him as a fighter, but I don't like this action.
Yeah right, because the first round werdum was fighting different than after his knee popped ?????
All bull ! cry babies indead !
Fedor says hi Werdum you dumb son of a bitch. Wasn't he stupid enough to go to the ground with you? To fight to your strength?
Werdum could of have won that fight, he spent too much time on the ground... he was doing better standing up.
Too many should haves,if's and would haves.Injury sminjury.
No excuse for what he did.He murdered the fight first round.Please Allistair please come to tthe ground.He's a moron.In mma you have to fight on the ground he says.You don't HAVE to do anything.What u need to do is get in there and give it ur all.