For a time, Chris Weidman looked like he was going to be come a truly dominant champion.
First, he knocked out Anderson Silva to win the UFC middleweight title. Then, he defeated Silva again – albeit thanks to a freakish leg injury – erasing any doubt that he deserved his station atop the middleweight division. Next, he defeated Lyoto Machida in a thrilling, five-round war. And finally, he took out a bona fide MMA legend in Vitor Belfort, marking his third-straight defense of the middleweight title. Indeed, it looked like it could be the beginning of a legendary reign for the talented American star.
Regrettably, it all came crashing down when he attempted his fourth defense against former Strikeforce middleweight champ Luke Rockhold. Though he was not without his moments in the fight, he was worn down by his powerful foe, and ultimately TKO’d, which meant the end of his reign as middleweight king.
From there, Weidman was pencilled in for an immediate rematch with Rockhold. Regrettably, his bad luck continued as he was forced out of this shot at redemption with an injury. He was then replaced by Michael Bisping, who shocked the world with a first-round knockout of Rockhold, effectively destroying Weidman’s claim to a title shot.
With a title rematch with Rockhold off the table, Weidman then attempted to get back on track against Cuban destroyer Yoel Romero. Regrettably, this fight led to the most decisive loss of Weidman’s career, as he was smashed by a flying knee in the third round. This catches us up to the current day, when Weidman is on a two-fight losing streak, and in very real danger of losing his contendership status.
The former champ will attempt to correct his course in the co-main event of UFC 210, when he takes on long-time contender Gegard Mousasi. Weidman’s success against the talented Mousasi, of course, is far from guaranteed. He does, however, appear to be in incredible shape heading into this fight, which is certainly a positive sign for him.
Check out Weidman’s fight-ready physique in this recent post to Instagram!
https://www.instagram.com/p/BSHJV0LBgty/
“My comeback story begins in less than 2 weeks,” Weidman said in the caption for this post.
UFC 210 will be headlined by a light heavyweight title fight between champ Daniel Cormier and challenger Anthony “Rumble” Johnson. It all goes down on April 8 in Buffalo, New York – Weidman’s native state.
Do you think Chris Weidman can take out Gegard Mousasi at UFC 210? Sound off, in the comments, PENN Nation!
This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 3/26/2017.