via somewhat controversial majority decision. Werdum was expected to face Derrick Lewis on 7 October 2017 at UFC 216. However, the day of the event Lewis was unable to fight due to back issues. Werdum agreed to face last-minute replacement Walt Harris on the card. After securing a single leg takedown almost immediately, Werdum quickly secured back mount and transitioned to an armbar for the victory just over a minute into the fight. Werdum faced Marcin Tybura on 19 November 2017 at UFC Fight Night: Werdum vs. Tybura. He dominated most of the action and won the fight via unanimous decision. Werdum faced Alexander Volkov on 17 March 2018 at UFC Fight Night 127. He lost the back-and-forth fight via knockout in the fourth round. USADA suspension Werdum was expected to face Alexey Oleynik on 15 September 2018 at UFC Fight Night 136. However on 22 May, Fabrício Werdum was flagged for a potential USADA doping violation. In September 2018 it was revealed that the substance in question was trenbolone and as a result he was suspended from competition for 2 years. He was eligible to return in May 2020. Having two fights left in his contract, Werdum announced that he has requested for a release from the UFC. Subsequently, Werdum's 2-year suspension was reduced to 10 months for substantial assistance. Return from suspension Werdum was expected to face Alexey Oleynik on 9 May 2020 at UFC 250. However, on April 9, Dana White, the president of UFC announced that this event was postponed and the bout eventually took place on May 9, 2020 at UFC 249. Werdum lost the fight via split decision. Werdum faced Alexander Gustafsson on July 26, 2020 at UFC on ESPN 14, the latter making his debut at heavyweight. He won the fight via an armbar submission in round one. This win earned him the Performance of the Night award. After the fight, Werdum chose not to re-sign with the UFC. Professional Fighters League On November 16, 2020, Werdum announced he had signed a multi-fight deal with the Professional Fighters League promotion and will compete in the 2021 PFL heavyweight tournament. He made his promotional debut against Team Nogueira fighter Renan Ferreira on May 6, 2021 at PFL 3. He lost the fight via technical knockout in the first round. The loss was surrounded by controversy as replays showed Ferreira tapping out while Werdum had