NEW YORK -- It was the best night of his life as a mixed martial artist, so you might not be surprised to learn that Fabricio Werdum has spent many a night (and day) re-living his June victory over the legendary Fedor Emelianenko.In fact, at a Wednesday press conference to publicize Saturday's kickoff to the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix, Werdum got one of the day's biggest laughs when he responded to a question about how often he's watched the victory.
"No joking, maybe 1,000 times," he said. "No joke. I watch it all the time at home. I watch it on the internet. I like it. It's good for me. I'm not joking. Really, 1,000 times, maybe more."
Prior to the start of the press conference, a pair of monitors displayed the fight, and true to form, Werdum watched intently as he locked on the fight-ending triangle, a smile crossing his face as Emelianenko tapped.
The win snapped a nine-and-a-half-year unbeaten streak for the Russian legend.
Since then, Werdum (14-4-1) had elbow surgery and has apparently basked in the enjoyment of the historic victory, but now he moves on to the next phase of his career, trying to continue the forward momentum.
He'll face Alistair Overeem in the first round of the tournament in April. That will be a rematch of a 2006 fight, which Werdum won via submission.
Despite his big over Emelianenko and a prior win against Overeem, Werdum says he doesn't consider himself the man to beat in the eight-man field.
"I'm not the favorite," he said. "I just like to fight. I just finished training. It's very important for me, my training for my first fight. My training is very important. I'm in very good condition, my body and mind. I'm fighting at 100 percent, no problem."
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