C. Weidman held the belt for two years. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram @chrisweidman
Chris Weidman is not only recognized for his excellent qualities inside the octagon and his status as former UFC middleweight champion. Responsible for dethroning Anderson Silva from the top of the world, in 2013, the 'All American' was branded as the 'Brazilian executioner' after overcoming names like Vitor belfort, Demian Maia e Lyoto Machida, in addition to also winning the rematch with 'Spider'.
This Saturday (03), in New York (USA), Weidman will have the chance to increase his list of Brazilian victims when facing Ronaldo Jacare at UFC 230. Despite the coincidence, the North American fighter assured that he liked Brazil, and took the opportunity to praise his next opponent, who took the fight with two weeks notice, after Luke Rockhold being removed from the show due to an injury.
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“I love Brazilians and I love Brazil, a place where there are incredible fighters, but at the end of the day it doesn't matter where the person is from. If you put someone in front of me, I want to beat them. I'm happy that we have so many Brazilian legends as fighters, but I'm excited to win once again, and I'm very confident about it. I have a lot of respect for Jacaré, he did well wherever he fought, of course he has very good jiu-jitsu, he's a great MMA fighter, also a Strikeforce champion. He's had some ups and downs, which is normal in the UFC, but he offers a lot to the sport. (…) I had two weeks to prepare to face Ronaldo Jacare, but that was no problem. I was sad for 15 minutes when Luke left the fight, but Jacaré was there, available and prepared, so I had no questions about that. I accepted the fight before him, because… what can I do? Whoever I'm going to fight, the next fight is for the title. And I'm very confident, in great shape, training very hard. When you believe and know that you are the best in the world, you have to be prepared to beat anyone”, declared Chris, in an interview with the Combate website.
Known for his strong takedown game, Weidman could find himself in danger if he takes the fight to the ground, as Ronaldo Jacare He has one of the best jiu-jitsu today. The former champion, however, made a point of highlighting that he does not feel threatened on the ground, and guarantees that he is prepared to frustrate the Brazilian's game.
“I’m comfortable with all the possibilities. If he puts me down, I'm fine. If I throw him to the ground, I'm fine. If we fight standing up, I'm fine. I'm very experienced and I've learned a lot through adversity, I've never felt so confident before. We never know what will happen. All I know is that I did everything I could in my preparation. And that's what makes me so relaxed and confident. I would say the chances of me losing this fight are very low. And if he beats me, then he deserves it, because I'm a real beast these days,” concluded Weidman.
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