Mike Russow to take on toughest opponent of his career Fabricio Werdum at UFC 147 – UFC News
Mike Russow, the surging American heavyweight mixed martial artist, will most probably take on the toughest opponent of his career Fabricio Werdum the Brazilian submission specialist, in a three-round bout which will be held on UFC 147 on June 23, 2012.
The duo will co-headline the pay-per-view at the Estadio Jornalista Felipe Drumond in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. The show will be headlined by the non-title clash between Wanderlei Silva and Rich Franklin.
Mike and Fabricio more or less are fighters of the same stature. In short, Mike is entering the octagon as an underdog and will face a tough time from a multi-time gold, silver and bronze medallist Werdum.
Russow, 35, has been in a total of 17 mixed martial art bouts, boasting 15 wins. Mike is basically a submission artist yet is undoubtedly no match for the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Fabricio.
Mike has pinned eight of his opponents by submission, four by knockout and three by decision. His Saturday night opponent Fabricio has been in a total of 21 mixed martial art bouts and boasts 15 wins.
The 34-year-old brawler has also nailed eight opponents by submission, four by knockout and three by decision. Werdum possesses a pretty intimidating background, especially in the submission or grappling area of the sport.
Also known as the ‘Vai Cavalo’, Werdum has won 10 gold, four silver, and five bronze medals while taking part in several submission grappling championships. This is the reason as to why he is being dubbed as a favourite for the upcoming bout.
Moreover, Fabricio is widely known as the fifth best heavyweight in UFC and therefore the bout is a golden chance for Mike to move up in the rankings and strengthen his position in the title contender-ship scenario.
While sharing his thoughts about being the underdog, Mike stated, “Honestly, (fighting in hostile territory) really doesn't bother me. I'm the underdog and glad all the pressure is on him. It doesn't bother me what the fans are doing. I really don't even
hear my coaches after the ref says go, so that's not going to bother me at all.”
When asked as to what he thinks about Werdum, Russow commented, “From watching film on [Werdum], especially his last fight with Roy Nelson, his standup is a lot better –especially in his Muay Thai, in the clinch going for knees. He's a tough guy, and I'm
going to try to not make any mistakes.”
Werdum is coming from a unanimous decision win over Roy Nelson whereas Mike is currently on an 11-bout win streak since his career’s only loss to Sergei Kharitonov.
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