Fabricio Werdum out to prove he’s no one-hit MMA wonder

Fabricio Werdum had his Buster Douglas moment, and he’s confident the similarities stop there.

Last June, Werdum shocked the mixed martial arts world with his upset of previously unbeaten Fedor Emelianenko — just as Douglas had done in boxing when he knocked out then-unbeaten heavyweight champion Mike Tyson in 1990.

What Douglas found — and couldn’t handle — is that tomorrow comes.

“The only good time was me winning the fight and them announcing me as the new heavyweight champion of the world,” Douglas said in a telephone interview this week. “The rest was a mess — legal problems, not having enough time to prepare for the next fight. It was horrible. I was in a bad state of mind for years.”

Saturday in Dallas, Werdum, 33, will fight for the first time in nearly a year since his stunning triangle choke and arm twist caused Emelianenko to concede the end of his 28-fight unbeaten streak by tapping out 1 minute 9 seconds into the first round.

Werdum (14-4) is matched against Strikeforce champion Alistair Overeem (34-11) in a quarterfinal of the organization’s heavyweight tournament that will also include a fight between Brett Rogers and Josh Barnett in another quarterfinal.

“I’m coming to this fight with more experience and maturity, having been through the most important fight of my career,” said Werdum, a Brazilian who lives in Marina del Rey. “I feel more calm.”

Douglas’ weight bloated, and he quickly lost his title to Evander Holyfield and reverted to obscurity. In contrast, Werdum said he is “very confident” of victory.

Strikeforce executive Scott Coker said he has seen the “same happy, engaging Fabricio” this week as the fighter who spent his final hour before the Emelianenko bout singing Brazilian music in his locker room with trainers and friends.

Werdum’s extended layoff followed elbow surgery required after the Emelianenko fight and Strikeforce’s decision to delay the quarterfinals from April because of venue issues.

Overeem, 31, a champion kick boxer, is vowing revenge after a 2006 second-round submission loss to Werdum in Japan’s Pride Fighting Championships.

The Werdum-Overeem winner will fight Antonio Silva in the fall. The winner of the Strikeforce tournament should be well placed in 2012 for lucrative paydays, given the recent purchase of Strikeforce by the heavyweight-loaded Ultimate Fighting Championship.

“Now we’ll see who the No. 1 heavyweight in the world will be,” Werdum said.

lance.pugmire@latimes.com

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