Werdum backs Despaigne to knock out Ngannou and questions dos Santos' $80,000 purse

Former UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum has predicted that Robelis Despaigne would knock out Francis Ngannou if the two were matched up, calling the Cuban striker a “terrible matchup” for the former UFC and PFL champion following Despaigne’s first-round KO of Junior dos Santos at Most Valuable Promotions’ “Rousey vs. Carano” event on Netflix.

“This Cuban is a terrible matchup for Francis Ngannou,” Werdum said. “He has a lot of reach, speed, and precision. I’m 99% sure he’ll beat Ngannou by knockout.” Werdum had been rooting for his former opponent dos Santos heading into the fight but acknowledged Despaigne deserved to be favoured.

Werdum also raised doubts about the disclosed salary for dos Santos, who reportedly earned $80,000 for the bout. “I thought they started with great purses. The only one that didn’t make any sense to me was ‘Cigano’s.’ I think they got a zero wrong,” Werdum said. “Two years ago he fought me for $800,000 or $1 million at Gamebred Fighting Championship. It doesn’t make sense for a former UFC heavyweight champion to fight for $80,000. There’s definitely an error there.”

On the subject of the UFC’s heavyweight division, Werdum was dismissive of Hamdy Abdelwawab Hokit, who has attracted attention for his WWE-style antics. “I didn’t know this Hokit — I’ve never seen him fight and I don’t understand why they put him in the White House. This guy doesn’t represent MMA. Our sport has nothing to do with WWE. What this guy does is ridiculous, it’s embarrassing. I’m sure [Derrick] Lewis will knock him out.”

Werdum also weighed in on the anticipated heavyweight title fight between his compatriot Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane, predicting a Pereira victory and suggesting Gane’s mental fortitude would be the decisive factor. “Ciryl is very good but he doesn’t have heart. I realized that in his fight with Jon Jones — he accepted defeat, stood still and didn’t even attempt a defense when the guillotine choke wasn’t even locked in,” Werdum said. “‘Poatan’ is a natural heavyweight; I don’t even see him moving up a division. I think he’ll win and make history by being the first fighter to win three belts.”

Werdum, who is mentioned by Joe Rogan among the greatest heavyweights in the sport’s history — with notable finishes over Fedor Emelianenko, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, and Cain Velasquez — also disclosed that he is no longer working as an MMA commentator on Brazil’s Combate channel after becoming involved in a backstage altercation during a Wanderlei Silva fight broadcast on Rede Globo last September.