Chris Weidman couldn’t help but hear his name after Michael Bisping narrowly beat Dan Henderson to retain the middleweight belt on Saturday. ‘The Count’, who sustained a good deal of damage after five hard fought rounds with ‘Hendo’, took to the mic immediately after the decision was announced and put the middleweight division on blast.
The former middleweight champ, Weidman, spoke exclusively with BJPENN.com to discuss his interpretation of Bisping’s call-out.
“For Bisping to have the balls to call out everyone looking the way he looked, I was just embarrassed for him for sticking to the script,” Weidman told BJPENN.com.
“When Bisping got the win, it was definitely scripted the way he called out all the guys in (the middleweight division). He obviously had it all in his head and I’m sure he imagined himself running through Dan Henderson since ‘Hendo’ was on the downswing of his career, and had been talking about retiring.”
“He took the easiest fight a champ could get by fighting the number 14-ranked guy who’s 46-years-old, and he still got his ass kicked. I thought he lost the fight.”
Weidman lost the 185 pound title to Luke Rockhold back at UFC 194, who in turn lost the belt to Bisping months later.
But the Long Island native made it clear that Bisping’s title shot wouldn’t have ever happened if it weren’t for Weidman himself.
“He was never a championship-level guy. It was looking like he was never gonna get a title shot until I got injured (leading into UFC 199). He steps in and gets the win.”
“Right after he won the belt, I had to explain to everyone who asked me that Bisping was the champ (of my division), and I was embarrassed to say it.”
“I’m just calling it the way I see it.”
Weidman is set to take on fellow middleweight contender Yoel Romero at UFC 205 for the promotion’s historic first event in New York, Weidman’s hometown.
Do you agree with Weidman’s assessment of Bisping’s post-fight call out of the middleweight division? How do you see Weidman’s fight with Romero going down? Sound off, PENN Nation!