Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Team History, Fighter Stats, Biographies and News

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Fabricio Werdum

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Fabricio Werdum is a highly regarded jiu-jitsu black belt. A former 3 time World Champion and a 2-time ADCC Champion, he is also a big player as a professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter in the Heavyweight Division having fought in all three major MMA organizations (UFC, Pride and Strikeforce). In 2010 he shocked the MMA world submitting Fedor Emilianenko in the first round, a man many thought to be unbeatable and widely considered the best heavyweight in MMA history.

Fabricio Werdum Jiu Jitsu

Full Name: Fabricio Werdum

Nickname: “Vai Cavalo” is a motivational phrase used in Portuguese, it means “Go Horse”. “Cavalo” (Horse) is also a name sometimes used to describe big individuals. It has been also said that the nickname relates back to Werdum’s youth when he played football (soccer). He was so big and powerful that when he got a hold of the ball it would be hard to take it away from him, so his teammates used to yell jokingly: “Go Horse, go!” (vai cavalo).

Lineage: Carlos Gracie > Helio Gracie > Alvaro Barreto > Sylvio Behring > Fabricio Werdum

Main Achievements:

  • 1st Place IBJJF World Champion (2003/2004)
  • 1st Place ADCC Champion (2007/2009)

Main Achievements (Colored Belts):

  • 1st Place IBJJF World Champion (2000 blue belt)
  • 1st Place IBJJF Pan American Champion (2001 purple belt weight & absolute)

Favorite Position/Technique: Triangle

Weight Division: Pesadíssimo (over 221lbs)

Association/Team: Winner/Behring, Chute-Boxe, Werdum Combat Team

Fabricio Werdum Biography

Fabricio Werdum was born on the 30th of July 1977 in Porto Alegre in the South of Brazil. He started doing Jiu-Jitsu in his teens after he got involved in a fight with an ex-boyfriend of his girlfriend at the time. The ex-boyfriend (who practiced BJJ) put Fabricio on a chokehold, something Werdum was completely unfamiliar with and forced him to go to sleep. After learning that he got beat by Jiu-Jitsu, he joined an academy, at the time, Marcio Corletta’s gym called Winner-Behring.

Fabricio was around 17 years old at the time he moved to Spain with his mother, and many believed this would be the end of a promising fighter’s career, but the disbelievers could not be further from the truth. Madrid of the early 2000s was a desert when it came to BJJ academies, Werdum decided to open his own, with his headquarters set in the famous football (soccer) stadium of Vicente Calderon home to the Atletico Madrid team. Establishing himself as one of the best coaches in Spain, he went on and set up affiliate academies in both Albacete and Saragoca (both Spanish towns).

In 2002 Werdum premiered in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) at a European organization called the Millennium Brawl, winning with his trademark triangle choke. Though being in Spain, Werdum would often travel to Brazil to train and compete there, always with the Behring organization rightfully earning his black belt from Sylvio Behring, brother of the famous Marcelo Behring.

Werdum continued training Jiu-Jitsu winning the World Gold Medal on two occasions as a Black Belt, but with time he decided to focus more on the profitable MMA industry. To improve his stand up (the area of the game he was lacking the most) he joined the famed academy from Curitiba, Brazil, Chute Boxe. A prestigious gym run by Rafael Cordeiro and Rudimar Fedrigo, that had produced some of the best Muay Thai fighters in MMA, people like André Amade, Anderson Silva, Pele, Wanderlei Silva, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Murilo Rua and many others. In exchange for his tuition in the striking, he private grappling classes to a lot of the team’s fighters.

In 2005 Fabricio Werdum was invited to help Croatian fighter Mirko Filipovic “Cro Cop” with his ground training. Mirko was an MMA star in Japan and was looking for the best grappler he could find to help him with his game. Werdum agreed and in the meantime opened another gym, this time in Zagreb, Croatia.

Fabricio went on a 5 fight win streak and reached (arguably) the best MMA organization of the early 2000s, the now-extinct Pride FC, he fought there until the organization fell down. Werdum then picked up a fight with the 2 Hot 2 Handle organization just before he signed a contract with the UFC.

In 2008 Fabricio opened an Affiliate academy of Chute Boxe in his home town of Porto Alegre. An amazing infrastructure with 150 sq meters of mat area and accommodation for fighters. After a bumpy start with the UFC losing to a decision against the former champion Andrej Arlovski, he seemed set on a path to a challenge for the belt after two wins against heavy opposition. Unfortunately, a stumble against Junior dos Santos (aka “Cigano”) brought the UFC to want to renegotiate Werdum’s contract, Werdum did not agree with the terms and was sacked by the organization, though he didn’t stay unemployed for long, being affiliated with the Strikeforce organization straight away.

When Rudimar Fedrigo and Rafael Cordeiro split, so did Chute Boxe. Werdum stood by Rafael Cordeiro’s side even though he maintained a good relationship with Rudimar. Werdum would then move his training to the United States and open his own academy there in Marina Del Rey, California.

After an auspicious start at the Strikeforce organization, with wins over Mike Kyle and the big man Antonio Silva, Werdum was offered the fight he had been waiting for all along, a challenge against the World number 1 Heavy Weigh Emilianenko Fedor. For this fight, he started developing his athleticism and his explosive strength through Kettlebell training. He also brought in the prestigious ground coach Otavio Couto on board while sharpening his jiu-jitsu with sparring partners such as Romulo Barral and Bruno “Mamute”. All this hard work paid off as he won against the heavy favored Russian by triangle choke on the first round.

Fabricio Werdum Grappling Record

32 WINS
  • BY POINTS
    20 (63%)
  • BY ADVANTAGES
    0 (0%)
  • BY SUBMISSION
    12 (38%)
  • BY DECISION
    0 (0%)
  • BY PENALTIES
    0 (0%)
  • BY DQ
    0 (0%)

12 SUBMISSIONS WINS

#214eb8
Armbar
50
6
#86e620
Kimura
25
3
#5AD3D1
Wristlock
8
1
#d1212a
Heel Hook
8
1
#fad11b
Americana
8
1
12
(100%) SUBMISSIONS
13 LOSSES
  • BY POINTS
    9 (69%)
  • BY ADVANTAGES
    0 (0%)
  • BY SUBMISSION
    3 (23%)
  • BY DECISION
    1 (8%)
  • BY PENALTIES
    0 (0%)
  • BY DQ
    0 (0%)

3 SUBMISSIONS LOSSES

#214eb8
Toe hold
33
1
#86e620
Armbar
33
1
#5AD3D1
RNC
33
1
3
(100%) SUBMISSIONS

Fabricio Werdum Fight History

ID Opponent W/L Method Competition Weight Stage Year
815Marcio CruzMarcio CruzLPointsADCCO99KGF2003
825A. CacarecoLPts: 9x4ADCCABSSF2003
844Marcio CruzMarcio CruzLPts: 7x0World Champ.ABSSF2003
916Alexandre DantasAlexandre DantasLToe holdPan AmericanO100KGSF2003
924Marcio CruzMarcio CruzLArmbarPan AmericanABSF2003
945Leonardo LeiteLeonardo LeiteLN/AWorld CupO100KGF2003
1074Ronaldo SouzaRonaldo SouzaLPts: 10x0World CupABSSF2004
1217Jeff MonsonLPts: 2x0ADCCO99KGSF2005
1229Roger GracieRoger GracieLRNCADCCABS4F2005
1665Andre GalvaoAndre GalvaoLReferee DecisionADCCABS4F2007
2050Gabriel VellaGabriel VellaLPointsCapital ChallengeO99KGSF2008
2051Leonardo LeiteLeonardo LeiteLPointsCapital ChallengeO99KG3PLC2008
3299Vinny MagalhaesVinny MagalhaesLPts: 2x0ADCCO99KGF2011
18097Lucas BarbosaLucas BarbosaD---Spyder Inv. FinalABSSPF2018
688Elvis SinosicWKimuraWorld Champ.O100KGR12002
810T. KosakaWPointsADCCO99KGR12003
812Jehad HamdanWPointsADCCO99KG4F2003
814Mike Van ArsdaleWArmbarADCCO99KGSF2003
821Matt LindlandWArmbarADCCABSR12003
824Akira SojiWArmbarADCCABS4F2003
828Marcio CruzMarcio CruzWPts: 6x0ADCCABS3PLC2003
846Vini. AntunesWWristlockWorld Champ.O100KGR12003
849Leo. MontenegroWPointsWorld Champ.O100KG4F2003
850Adriano CamolesiWPointsWorld Champ.O100KGSF2003
852Leonardo LeiteLeonardo LeiteWPointsWorld Champ.O100KGF2003
921Jorge OliveiraWArmbarPan AmericanABS4F2003
923Roberto ToziRoberto ToziWN/APan AmericanABSSF2003
942AlexandreWKimuraWorld CupO100KGR12003
944Mario EsfihaMario EsfihaWPointsWorld CupO100KGSF2003
1062Fabiano SheirnerWPointsWorld Champ.O100KGSF2004
1064Fernando TerereFernando TerereWPointsWorld Champ.O100KGF2004
1211Denis RobertsWPts: 7x0ADCCO99KGR12005
1215Marcio CorletaMarcio CorletaWPts: 2x0ADCCO99KG4F2005
1218Daniel SimoesDaniel SimoesWPts: 5x0ADCCO99KG3PLC2005
1220Reese AndyWHeel HookADCCABSR12005
1661Mario RinaldiWAmericanaADCCABSR12007
1717Elvis SinosicWArmbarADCCO99KGR12007
1720Darren AndyWPointsADCCO99KGSF2007
2048Luis FernandoWPointsCapital ChallengeO99KG4F2008
2284Rogent LorentWKimuraADCCO99KGR12009
2288Tomasz JaniszewskiWPointsADCCO99KG4F2009
2292Saulo RibeiroSaulo RibeiroWPointsADCCO99KGSF2009
2293Roberto AbreuRoberto AbreuWPointsADCCO99KGF2009
3252Alexander TransAlexander TransWPts: 2x0ADCCO99KGR12011
3276Jeff MonsonWArmbarADCCO99KG4F2011
3289Roberto AbreuRoberto AbreuWPointsADCCO99KGSF2011
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