C. Weidman held the middleweight belt for two years. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram @chrisweidman
The former middleweight champion (up to 83,9kg.), Chris Weidman, lives a real nightmare in his career. After shocking the world by defeating the legendary Anderson Silva On two occasions (2013), the athlete is currently going through a difficult time. Without winning for more than two years, the athlete lives with criticism about his latest performances, the last one, when he was severely beaten by Dominick reyes in his debut at light heavyweight (up to 93kg.). In an interview with 'Ariel Helwani's MMA Show', the American spoke about the future in the sport and guaranteed that he will continue fighting.
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“I will definitely keep fighting. There is no doubt about that. I lived through hell. I've had 23 surgeries, but I feel good now. I know it sounds crazy, but I still think I'm capable of achieving great things,” said Weidman.
There is no doubt that the North American was responsible for ending the hegemony of the athlete who, for many, is considered the best in the history of the sport. When he defeated Anderson, Weidman was on top of the world and had worldwide fame.
The athlete managed to defend his title on three occasions, all of them against Brazilians ('Spider', Vitor belfort and Lyoto Machda). However, in December 2015, the North American suffered defeat and saw his title slip through his hands after being defeated by Luke Rockhold in an event valid for UFC 194.
After the setback for his compatriot, which also marked the first negative result of the fighter's career, Weidman was no longer able to find his footing in his career. There were five appearances, four defeats and only one triumph, when he beat Kelvin Gastelum, in July 2017.
In 2019, after a series of bad results, Chris decided to venture into the light heavyweight division. Right away, the athlete was chosen to face one of the division's great promises, Dominick reyes, which today occupies fourth position in the ranking and guaranteed the right to face Jon Jones by category title. The fight was recently scheduled for February 8, at UFC 247.
Against Reyes, Weidman showed fragility and was frustrated when he tried to exchange forces against a rival of greater stature and power. The North American ended up succumbing to his rival less than two minutes into the fight and suffered his fifth knockout in five defeats.
After the new defeat, Chris made a point of ensuring that he is not thinking about retirement. The athlete, however, when asked about which division he will hold his next matches in, admitted that there is still doubt about which decision to make.
“I'm not sure if I'll go back to middleweight or stay at light heavyweight,” concluded the former champion.
Currently 35 years old, Weidman has now made 19 appearances in his professional MMA career. The fighter has 14 wins and five losses.
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