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Werdum meets Cristiano Ronaldo and Co

ESPN staff
August 4, 2012
Fabricio Werdum met Cristiano Ronaldo and Co. © Getty Images
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At first glance, football and mixed martial arts don't have much in common. However, the UFC and Real Madrid have shown that both crowds can mix when the passion of sports comes into play.

Fabricio Werdum, one of the most popular fighters of the UFC heavyweights, paid a visit to the Merengue team to personally greet Iker Casillas, currently considered the world's best goalkeeper.

The meeting was casual. While Real Madrid's pre-season takes place in Los Angeles, the UFC gets ready for the upcoming UFC on Fox 4, headlined by Mauricio Shogun Rua and Brandon Vera at the Staples Center.

The Brazilian fighter as well as the Spanish keeper chatted about their future in their respective careers and even shared some tips with each other. The gloves exchange was the perfect ending to a meeting witnessed by a vast variety of fans that were waiting outside the training fields of UCLA.

"I lived ten years in Spain. I have relatives in Madrid and I have always been a fan of Real. It's nice to be here among these players and have the chance to talk about everything. I honestly had a great time," Werdum said.

"I invited Iker to a live UFC event and he liked the idea. Being from Brazil, I play soccer like everyone from my country, but I prefer the Octagon."

Meanwhile, Casillas signed his gloves for Fabricio and agreed to pose just like fighters do when promoting a bout.

"But this is just pretend because he does hit hard," joked Iker, who was then joined in the conversation by Pepe and Cristiano Ronaldo from Portugal. The pair also shared some time with the UFC fighter.

This is the second time in a row that Real Madrid and UFC spent some time together during the summer. In 2011 Cain Velasquez and Ronaldo started this tradition.

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