There were many who expected Saturday’s UFC 175 pay-per-view to be one of the best shows of the year, and the action in the Octagon lived up to MMA fans’ high expectations.
While many eyes were focused on women’s champion Ronda Rousey as she dominated Alexis Davis via first-round knockout, the best fight of the night featured defending middleweight champion Chris Weidman squaring off against Lyoto Machida.
Here is a full table of the UFC 175 results and a recap of the main event.
Breaking Down Chris Weidman’s Win Over Lyoto Machida
There are several fighters in the UFC who are part of the exclusive upper echelon, but with a dominant decision victory over Lyoto Machida (49-45, 48-47, 49-46), defending middleweight champion Chris Weidman proved he is a top star.
Machida deserves immense credit for his move to middleweight and the five-round thriller fans were treated to on Saturday, but Weidman’s relentless attack was enough to earn him the victory via the judges’ scorecards.
After years of fighting at light heavyweight, Machida may be better suited at middleweight.
As well as Machida performed, he was no match for the elite wrestling skills and heavy striking of the middleweight champion. Weidman took Machida down five times and landed straight right hands early and often in the bout.
Weidman dominated the first three rounds, but Machida bounced back in the fourth and looked to be in control with his elite kicks and accurate strikes. While the champion was clearly stunned by the punches, he recovered in time and withstood the offensive assault.
Former UFC star Kenny Florian talked about what makes Weidman so dangerous:
The fifth round was the perfect end to the brawl, as both men got in their parting shots before it ultimately went to the judges.
After the victory, Weidman spoke to Brett Okamoto of ESPN.com about his thoughts on Machida and the nonstop chatter about his first two wins over former champion Anderson Silva:
He’s as good as I thought. Quick. When you think he’s going to do something, he does the opposite. He’s real tricky and tough as nails.
I don’t mind having Anderson Silva’s name attached to me as long as it does. He’s the greatest of all time. The more I’m winning, the more people talk about him. I don’t mind him staying in the picture. He deserves it.
While Machida fell to 21-5 for his career, Weidman stayed undefeated (12-0) and proved that he is the top performer in the middleweight division right now. As with most fighters, though, the fans have already started asking what is next.
All signs point to a battle with veteran Vitor Belfort (24-10), according to UFC president Dana White:
For many fans, the idea of Weidman squaring off against Belfort is less than ideal. After being removed from the UFC 173 card due to the outlawing of testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), there are many who wonder what kind of fighter Belfort will be without the assistance of drugs.
Since his loss to Jon Jones in 2012, Belfort has earned three wins, all of which have come via knockout and have earned him Knockout of the Night awards. Now that TRT is banned, though, there are questions about what kind of fighter should be expected next time.
Regardless of who Weidman faces or when his next fight is, the American champion is one of the best fighters in the sport and will look to stretch his reign out as long as he can.
*Stats via UFC.com.
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