Roy Nelson welcoming Fabricio Werdum back to the UFC in February

In the not too distant past Fabricio Werdum went on record as saying he expected his next fight to take place in the UFC, even going so far as to call out Brendan Schaub as the opponent he hoped to face. It now appears as though the UFC was listening and has granted the bulk of his wish, booking the 34-year old Brazilian in a bout at UFC 143 against a competitor from TUF 10. However, it won’t be “The Hybrid”.

According to a report from MMAWeekly that has since been confirmed by other outlets, Werdum will take on Roy Nelson at the February 4 event as part of a PPV card already headlined by Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit in an interim title-fight.

The match-up will mark the second run for Werdum after going 2-2 in his first stint with wins over Brandon Vera and Gabriel Gonzaga. The 14-5-1 “Vai Cavalo” then went on to rack up a 3-1 record in Strikeforce after parting ways with the UFC including his fantastic finish of then-unbeatable Fedor Emelianenko.

Werdum Discusses his Interest in UFC Return

Nelson, who beat Schaub at the Ultimate Fighter Season 10 Finale to become the season’s champ, is coming off a victory over Mirko Filipovic to snap a two-fight skid, losing a pair of decisions to Frank Mir and current heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos.

Other offerings slated for UFC 143 include Amir Sadollah vs. Jorge Lopez, Renan Barao vs. Scott Jorgensen, Erik Koch vs. Dustin Poirier, and Mike Pierce vs. Josh Koscheck.

PHOTO CREDIT – UFC