Mark Hunt v Fabricio Werdum UFC 180: Brazilian fighter vows to beat Hunt...and then buy him a tequila

FABRICIO WERDUM says he is ready to beat Mark Hunt to the UFC championship belt in a stand-up war -- and then shout him a round of tequila.

Various pics of UFC heavyweight Mark Hunt, who is fighting for the world title on November 15 in Mexico City.

BRAZILIAN heavyweight Fabricio Werdum says he is ready to beat Mark Hunt to the UFC championship belt in a stand-up war -- and then shout him a round of tequila.

Speaking this morning at a press conference for UFC 180, Werdum insisted his punching power was the equal to that of Hunt, the Sydney knockout specialist.

“I feel very complete now,’’ Werdum said via an interpreter. “I didn’t like it when people would say that I was a jiu-jitsu fighter only. (But) I do feel very good to fight against Mark Hunt in striking.

Mark Hunt is fighting for the world title in Mexico City.

“He hits strong, very hard and he’s smart when he fights so I have to be careful. We can have a good fight and after that we can drink tequila together.”

Asked about the improvements to his striking game, Werdum continued: “It took me a while but I have always trained with Rafel Cordeiro; he’s the best coach in the world and he taught me the best I could do.

“Truly I feel like a black belt with Rafael Cordeiro’s support. But the most important thing I want is the belt.

“I’ve been in Mexico for two months, already, so after two weeks I started feeling good because it’s hard to adapt because of the altitude but after two months I feel fine.”

# UFC 180: Hunt versus Werdum airs live on Main Event Sunday from 2pm.

Originally published as Mark Hunt v Fabricio Werdum UFC 180: Brazilian fighter vows to beat Hunt...and then buy him a tequila