C. Weidman held the middleweight belt for two years. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram @chrisweidman
Responsible for ending the hegemony of Anderson Silva in the middleweights (up to 83,9kg.), Chris Weidman He is far from his moments of glory in MMA. Coming from five defeats in the last six fights, the former division champion has a commitment against Omari Akhmedov this Saturday (8), at UFC Las Vegas 6 and understands the need to win to continue in the organization.
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“I need a victory. I need to get back on the winning path. I think I have a lot of advantages in this fight, but when you're there (in the Octagon), you never know what's going to happen”, said the American in an interview with 'MMA Fighting'.
With an extensive list of great opponents on his record as a professional in mixed martial arts, Weidman admitted that, when he took on the challenge of facing Omari, he didn't know his opponent. After analyzing his opponent, Chris then recognized the qualities of his new rival.
“I just wanted to fight. Honestly, I had never heard of him. Not even my manager knew. So, I did some research and it has grown. He has been in the UFC for a while and has been switching between welterweight (up to 77kg.) and middleweight,” he explained, before completing. “He's on a good winning streak and is in the top 15. It will be one of the first times I'm not facing someone in the top 15, but he's a tough kid. I think it’s a good marriage”, said the former champion.
Negative sequence in the UFC
World famous for having twice defeated one of the greatest legends in the history of the sport, both in 2013, Weidman analyzed his recent history in the organization. Without winning since July 2017, the American justified his bad phase with the high-level athletes he faced in recent years.
“It’s a very tough sport. The fans are tough too, but it's kind of motivating. I have one win in the last six fights, but look who I faced and one of the ones I won (Kelvin Gastelum) and he did very well. In every fight, apart from the one with (Dominick) Reyes (in October last year), I was winning. That’s what happens sometimes,” he said.
As a high-performance athlete, Chris stated that he always intends to face the best. Defeat, then, according to the fighter, is something that can happen in such an unpredictable sport.
“You face all these good guys. You won't always leave with your hand raised. There is a randomness about who wins on the night. Random things happen, it doesn’t mean the person is the best in the fight,” she concluded.
This Saturday's clash in the co-main fight of the night will mark Chris' return to middleweight after a failed test at light heavyweight (up to 93kg). The athlete is trying to regain the prestige he achieved after becoming division champion between 2013 and 2015.
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