Fabricio Werdum is out of the 2025 GFL season.
GFL announced the former UFC heavyweight champion is no longer competing “due to injury,” but the Brazilian fighter explained on the Mundo da Luta podcast this week that he didn’t feel motivated to go on with the plan following Frank Mir’s recent withdrawal from their expected matchup.
“Vai Cavalo” was slated to face Mir in the first half of 2025, but decided to pull the plug on his participation after Mir was forced out of the planned match with an injury.
“I won’t fight for GFL anymore,” Werdum said. “I hope it’s a cool event, I root for them so it gives other people an opportunity, so legends can fight each one more time. I want it to work. I believe it’s normal that things like this happen, indecisions, two, three, four cards until the promotion gets things going, but I decided not to fight.
“I came back home, I’m in Florianópolis now. I’ve changed my entire schedule now, I’m going back to my life without thinking about fighting. I’m 47 now.”
Werdum hasn’t fought since a bare-knuckle MMA bout with Junior dos Santos in September 2023, when he lost a decision. Prior to that, the UFC veteran lost via TKO to Renan Ferreira in his sole appearance under the PFL banner back in May 2021, a result that was later overturned to a no-contest due to Ferreira allegedly tapping to a submission moments before.
