Chris Weidman praises Lyoto Machida: 'He's the best fighter I've ever faced'

Weidman (right) beat Lyoto (left) at UFC 175. Photo: Disclosure/UFC

Chris Weidman praised his respect for Lyoto Machida after the fight he had with the Brazilian on July 5th, in the main fight of UFC 175. On that occasion, the two fighters fought a tough five-round battle for the Ultimate middleweight belt, with the North American winning in the decision of judges.

In an interview with “The MMA Hour” podcast, Weidman stated that he started to respect Lyoto even more after the fight, highlighting the Brazilian's willpower in the final moments of the fight. “I went to try to end the fight in the fourth round, but exactly the opposite happened: he hit me with good shots and won the round. I kind of underestimated how much he wanted to win and how confident he was. I thought he was already broken, but he showed that he has the heart of a champion and that he is very tough. I knew he was an incredible fighter – he’s the best fighter I’ve ever faced, and he gave me the toughest test,” said Weidman, who was coming off two wins over Anderson Silva.

However, Weidman stated that he needed to go through a fight full of obstacles. “There were things where I was disappointed in myself in the fight, but I think it was the fight I needed. I needed to fight five rounds, I needed to have that experience. I needed to take punches. I think I needed all of that”, said the fighter.