Fabrício Werdum "Vai Cavalo"

Fabrício Werdum was born on July 30, 1977, in Porto Alegre, in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. According to his own account, he was introduced to jiu-jitsu on the recommendation of an ex-girlfriend, an unlikely origin story for a man who would go on to become one of the most accomplished big-man grapplers in the sport's history. He trained at the Winner-Behring Academy in Porto Alegre under Marcio Corleta before coming under the direct tutelage of Sylvio Behring, an influential figure in Brazilian jiu-jitsu who built a coral-belt career developing multiple future black belt champions. Behring promoted Werdum to black belt in 2003, at a size and athleticism level that immediately marked him as a standout in the heavyweight and super-heavyweight brackets. Beyond jiu-jitsu, Werdum also holds a black belt in judo and trained extensively in Muay Thai, giving him an unusually well-rounded martial arts background for a competitor whose reputation was built primarily on the ground.

As a black belt, Werdum quickly established himself among the best big men in the sport, winning IBJJF World Championship gold in the heavyweight bracket in both 2003 and 2004, with the 2004 title including a run through the absolute division against smaller, faster opponents. He also won a European Championship title during this stretch. His grappling résumé reached its peak at ADCC, the highest-level no-gi submission wrestling event in the world, where he won the heavyweight (+99kg) division twice, in 2007 in New Jersey and again in 2009 in Barcelona, and added a silver medal in 2011 in Nottingham. That combination of multiple IBJJF World titles and multiple ADCC heavyweight golds put him in rare company among heavyweight-class grapplers of any era, and in 2024 he was formally recognized for that legacy with induction into the ADCC Hall of Fame.

Werdum's grappling credentials translated directly into one of the most decorated submission résumés in MMA history. Competing as a heavyweight, he built a career defined by finishing dangerous strikers and grapplers alike on the ground. His most famous victory came in June 2010, when he submitted Fedor Emelianenko, then widely regarded as the greatest heavyweight in MMA history and riding a decade-long unbeaten reign, via a combination triangle-armbar in the first round, a result that reshaped the sport's heavyweight landscape overnight. He also holds notable finishes over Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira, Alistair Overeem, and Mark Hunt, giving him a run of victories over an extraordinary cross-section of the era's top heavyweight talent.

Werdum reached the top of the sport at UFC 188 in June 2015, submitting then-champion Cain Velasquez with a third-round guillotine choke to become UFC Heavyweight Champion, a title he held until losing it to Stipe Miocic via first-round knockout at UFC 198 in May 2016 in his home country of Brazil. His overall professional MMA record stands at 24 wins, 9 losses, and 1 draw, with the large majority of his victories coming by submission, a reflection of just how directly his jiu-jitsu foundation carried into the cage. Werdum's career stands as one of the clearest proof points that world-class grappling credentials can translate into legitimate heavyweight MMA championship success: a two-time BJJ World Champion, a two-time ADCC champion, and a two-time UFC/MMA heavyweight titleholder, a 'triple crown' combination almost no other fighter in the sport's history can claim.

Technical submission grappler with elite guard work, particularly the triangle and armbar, whose ground game translated into some of MMA's most significant heav