Not long after Fabricio Werdum said he wouldn't be afraid to go toe-to-toe against current Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez, "Vai Cavalo" has upped the ante and declared he can finish the 265-pound kingpin.
Speaking to Fight Hub TV, Werdum acknowledges Cain will pose a great challenge, but once the fight hits the ground, it's game, set and match because the jiu-jitsu black belt is going to submit Velasquez. After all, crazier things have happened.
His words:
"I want the belt, but Cain Velasquez is a good fight for me too, because he takes down guys, and if he takes me down, for sure I'm finishing him. I'll try for sure, I know it's a hard fight. He has good conditioning."
But what if Cain -- a former NCAA Division-1 wrestler -- opts to keep the fight on the feet?
That's not a problem for Werdum, because he'll do his best to get the fight to the ground and now has the tools to do it, thanks to his training with wrestling guru and Olympian Kenny Johnson.
And while Velasquez did receive his black belt in jiu-jitsu recently, it's safe to say Werdum's submission game is a few notches above Cain's -- and everyone else's, for that matter -- so "Vai Cavalo's" prediction isn't that farfetched.
Of course, before this potential heavyweight showdown becomes a reality, Cain has to defeat Junior dos Santos once again when the two battle in the main event of UFC 166 this weekend (Oct. 19, 2013) in Houston, Texas.
For the record, Werdum picks Velasquez to win by decision, but gives "Cigano" a puncher's chance in the first round.
And you thought all Brazilians always root for the home team!