UFC wants Werdum to fight Browne vs. Barnett winner

In October UFC heavyweight Fabricio Werdum reached every fighter’s goal. Unbeaten since returning to the UFC in 2012, with wins over Roy Nelson, Mike Russow and Big Nog, Werdum earned a shot a title. Then things happened.

Cain Velasquez is out until late in 2014 with shoulder surgery, and the UFC wants Werdum to fight. So does he sit out the surgery, collecting no fight money in the meantime, but with the promise of a PPV payday at the end? Or should he fight?

And if he fights, who?

Here are the UFC Top-10 Heavyweights:

Champion: Cain Velasquez

1. Junior Dos Santos

2. Fabricio Werdum

3. Daniel Cormier*

4. Antonio Silva

5. Travis Browne

6. Josh Barnett

7. Alistair Overeem

8. Mark Hunt

9. Frank Mir

10. Stipe Miocic

*Dropping to Light heavyweight

Ariel Helwani reported UFC president Dana White and UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta want Werdum to fight the winner of Travis Browne vs. Josh Barnett at UFC 168 on Dec. 18.

Werdum wanted to wait a day, but White is clear on what he wants.

“I met with Werdum yesterday or the day before – he’s going to fight the winner of Travis Browne and Josh Barnett,” White told FOX Sports today. “Waiting is ridiculous.”

“I’m not interested in him waiting, he’s going to fight. Because it gets to a point where it’s been so long since he fought nobody gives a s—-. You start to disappear and nobody cares and they start talking about other heavyweights and it’s like ‘why is this guy getting a shot when he hasn’t even fought?’ so we’re going to push him to fight.”

Do you think Werdum will fight, or wait?