The former UFC heavyweight champion Fabrico Werdum is set to face fellow grappling ace Gordon Ryan in a combat Jiu Jitsu match in Monterrey, Mexico, on Feb. 22, 2019. The announcement was made by Eddie Bravo Tuesday night and was confirmed by both Werdum and Ryan over social media.
The biggest difference between Combat Jiu Jitsu the more traditional style of Jiu Jitsu is that in Combat Jiu Jitsu, palm strikes are allowed when on the ground.
Werdum is a two-time Jiu Jitsu world champion and two-time ADCC gold medalist, while Ryan’s resume includes two ADCC medals (one gold, one silver), two IBJJF Pan-American golds and several EBI titles.
Werdum made his return to the mats after a seven-year absence earlier this month, going to a draw with Lucas “Hulk” Barbosa. “Vai Cavalo’s” last appearance in grappling tournaments was at ADCC 2011, capturing a silver medal after defeating Alexander Trans, Jeff Monson and Roberto Abreu, and coming up short against Vinny Magalhaes in the final.
“Vai Cavalo” was hit with a two-year suspension by the United States Anti-Doping Agency after testing positive for the anabolic steroid trenbolone and its metabolite epitrenbolone in an out-of-competition test in April. Werdum was pulled from a UFC Moscow main event bout with Aleksei Oleinik scheduled for Sept. 15 because of the positive test.
(Curated Source: MMAFighter.com)
Andy Gonzalez is a coach at Aces Jiu Jitsu Club. He has earned his BJJ Brown Belt under 2nd Degree Black Belt, Professor Mikal Abdullah. Follow Andy on Twitter at @GoGoGonzilla
Andy lives in Austin, Texas with his wife Amanda and their 3 beautiful children. Andy is also the father of a Marine who is honorably serving in the United States Marine Corps.