Fabricio Werdum and Frank Mir have now both withdrawn from GFL and the fight between them will no longer be going ahead. The promotion has clearly poured a lot of money into their venture, booking several fights between UFC veterans and legends of the sport. The fight between Werdum and Mir was one of the most interesting, as both men are among the best to ever do it in the heavyweight division. Two former UFC heavyweight world champions meeting in the cage for the first time is always a notable moment, and these men in particular are both fan-favorites as well.
Just a matter of weeks after the fight was announced, Mir was forced to withdraw. He had to undergo an emergency spinal fusion and laminectomy of his thoracic spine, ruling him out of the fight. With Mir out and the fight cancelled, the race was on for GFL to find a new opponent for Werdum. The promotion hadn’t announced anyone by the time that Werdum appeared on the Mundo De Luta podcast, and he explained that Mir pulling out was a big blow to him:
“Frank Mir was a fight that motivated me to return. After he announced his withdrawal, I also lost my motivation.”
Although Werdum could have waited around for a new opponent, things just weren’t the same without a legend like Mir to pre
“The atmosphere in Dida’s academy in Curitiba is unbelievable. It was such a great experience to return and do training routines with Master Rafael (Cordeiro), Wanderlei (Silva), (Andre) Dida, Brunno (Ferreira), and (Bruno Silva), but I have to feel the same motivation to return and that was not the case when Mir (was not an option).”
The full interview with Fabricio Werdum where he explains his reasons for pulling out of the upcoming GFL fight was uploaded to the official YouTube channel of Combate:
