This past weekend was filled with strong emotions for former UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum.
After Werdum was inducted into the ADCC Hall of Fame along with five other key figures (Xande Ribeiro, Jean-Jacques Machado, Ronaldo Sousa, Vinny Magalhaes and Orlando Sanchez), he met backstage with the man who was the main catalyst for his appearance at the event in 2003: Mark Carr.
“Not many people remember this, but Kerr is the reason I got to ADCC,” Werdum said. “In 2003, I went to LA for the Pan American Jiu-Jitsu Championships, but I was just starting out and couldn’t afford a hotel, so I stayed in my friend Marcus Vinicius de Lucia’s dojo at the Beverly Hills JJ Club, where Kerr trained. After the Pan American Championships, I was on my way back to Spain when Marcus came into the gym with Kerr and asked me if I would stay in LA to help Kerr prepare for his super fight against Arona at the 2003 ADCC in Sao Paulo. I remember he offered me $200 a day, which of course I accepted.”
Werdum recalls receiving heavy criticism from the BJJ community because training an American against a national team was uncommon at the time. The partnership worked so well that Kerr decided to recruit Werdum to be in his corner for the ADCC in São Paulo.
“I asked the organizers to let me play the match, but unfortunately the slots were already full. Then Kerr found out that Rico Rodriguez was having visa problems, so he mediated with the organizers so that I could play in his place,” Werdum recalled.
While Carr lost to Arona on points, losing his unbeaten record, Werdum left the prestigious tournament with two medals (bronze in the absolute weight class and silver in the over 99 kg weight class) and, from this tournament onwards, Werdum, already a jiu-jitsu world champion, was once again part of the global grappling elite.
The victory at ADCC was essential to Werdum being selected by Walid Ismael to fight Gabriel Gonzaga four months later at Jungle Fight 1. The following year, “Vai Cavalo” was invited by Mirko Filipovic to live in Croatia. This was an important step for Werdum as he prepared to compete at Pride 29 in February 2005, where he defeated Tom Eriksson by submission in his debut for the Japanese organization.
“This story all started with Carr,” Werdum said. “When I showed him the slides I used in my speech telling this story, he showed me the goosebumps on his arms. It was so emotional to see him again and to thank him again. I told him I can’t wait to see his film in the cinema.”
