Set to fight Alistair Overeem for Strikeforce’s heavyweight title, Fabrício Werdum is already training in the United States. Returning from a travel to Spain, the Chute Boxe athlete spoke with TATAME.com about his preparation and the emotion of disputing his first belt of a big event, the trainings with Wanderlei Silva, the opportunity to take, along with Cris Cyborg, two belts to Chute Boxe in the same night, and revealed his new addiction: play UFC Undisputed 2009.

How are the things at United States?

I just came back from Spain, where I was giving a month of classes there and in Croatia. I’m opening a new gym here at Marina Del Rey, California. I have this team for a long time. Since I started to train Jiu-Jitsu I already planted the little seed in Madrid, and now I have in Croatia, France, Canary Islands, Zaragoza, and now I did this tour. My academy in Marina Del Rey will open on July 18^th. This new team will be cool, with the Americans, because Lucas Pires and me already have a good group here. Since I started, we already know each other and he helps me. Because of the fact that I can’t spend the whole day giving lesson we did this company, because I can be more dedicated to the fight.

How are you doing to have the time between gym inaugurations and the trainings for the title fight?

It's always like this, when I have nothing set I’ll give seminars in Europe, but the priority is always the fight. Confirmed the fight against Overeem, I will have to change everything. Of course I’ll be close, but I’ll always be dedicated to the fight. Lucas knows the importance of this fight and will be focused in the gym and I’ll to train the fight.

How is the expectation for the fight?

I was very happy! My manager, Richard, called me the other day and confirmed... Indeed, it will be the first time I dispute a belt. In 2003 I disputed a belt at Morocco (World Absolute Fight Federation), but it wasn’t a known event, was a small event... I was so happy when my manager called about the fight, and a title fight changes everything, even to get sponsorship and other things. Everything is good, but it has to train three times, because it’s five rounds of five. I want to take that belt to have other proposals for other events. For now, I'm focused on Strikeforce, but at the same time I’m open to other proposals, because I have no exclusivity with Strikeforce.

You’ve already faced Overeem and submitted. Will it be the same strategy?

Sure, I’ll bring to my area, but is that thing: the fight starts standing. I’ll train standing as on the ground, but I’ll give more emphasis to the ground. I like to train and fight standing, and it hasn’t that thing of taking the fight directly to the ground. It’s difficult to take Overeem to the ground. In the other time that we fought, I couldn’t give him any takedown, and he took me down five times, so I was forced to fight standing with him. The strategy is this, take to the ground as soon as possible and submit.

You are focusing the trainings of Wrestling to help this part too?

Yes... I'm still training here with Rafael Cordeiro. I start to train at nine in the morning only Jiu-Jitsu with Cléber, and later with Rafael. It’s an academy on the side of the other, door to door. Later I do fitness and return to train more with Rafa. From Monday to Thursday we train here and, in Thursday, we train with Wanderlei. The same teacher of Wanderlei is the teacher of Randy Couture, so I train there Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and do the physical preparation with Alejarra also... It’s hard, since I went to Europe I didn’t stop training. There, I trained at the best team of Boxing and Muay Thai of Spain, so I'm fine.

Have you studied Overeem’s last fights?

As it wasn’t 100% confirmed, I didn’t give a look, because it had rumors that it would be against Roger (Gracie) or with Brett Rogers. Now that is confirmed, I’ll begin to analyze, because three years have passed and much has changed. As I changed, he changed too. I know he’s heavier and stronger, but there is one thing: the stronger and heavier, the guy can get tired fast. In our other fight, he gave me a heat in the first round and began to get tired in the second. I can use this strategy too, just wait for him to get tired, but if I have how to finalize before, I will.

You and Cris Cyborg can take two belts to the Chute Boxe at the same night...

It will be good, because the Chute Boxe went through a phase of everybody getting out and relieve some of the team, but we’ll rise again. What I want most is to take this belt, which is the second most important, after the UFC, next to Affliction. I cheer a lot for Cris and I'm sure she’ll take this belt. I’m representing the Chute Boxe, but I’m also representing the new team of Rafael Cordeiro.

You have trained a lot with Wanderlei, and helped him in his preparation to Rich Franklin. What did you think of this fight?

I tough it was a very good fight. Wanderlei is that thing, this thing of retire and all, I don’t think it's time, he has about three or four more years of career. I trained with him and it has no such thing as difference in weight, he’s very good, very warrior. Fight is fight, it doesn’t matter. The same way they gave to Franklin, they could have given to Wanderlei with a little something extra. The fight was very close, very good.

Speaking a little about the heavyweights of the UFC, how do you think it will be the fight between Minotauro and Randy Couture?

I think Minotauro will win, even more because of the fact of being Brazilian, but I have great faith in him. He had this defeat to Frank Mir, it happens, always has the first time, and it doesn’t matter, the level is so high that a little detail makes the difference. I think that Minotauro will get it. Randy Couture is good, but Minotauro has a very good guard and it may gat him in a triangle. I’m almost sure that Couture will take him down, but he has a very good guard and it get him into a triangle or a guillotine.

Have you already played the UFC Undisputed 2009?

Of course, I'm addicted to games, always liked to play. It was a surprise. I saw on the internet that had my name on the list of players, but didn’t believe that I would go, because I haven’t done the scanner. At the time I fought in the UFC, I signed so many papers that I didn’t remember that I had signed the deal of the game, but I signed. I was surprised that I was there, because I’m an addicted in games. Rafael Cordeiro also likes and can’t beat me (laughs)... Here in the region I’m the king... And I play with my character, of course, will I play with others? And if I lose in the game, we have to do in real life too (laughs).