Chris Weidman can finally stop thinking about Vitor Belfort. The reigning UFC middleweight champion dispatched of his Brazilian challenger in the first round in the co-main event at UFC 187.
The 30-year-old has been known to post pictures of his opponents on his fridge as he prepares for fights. That means he spent a lot of time taking in this picture that he posted on Instagram of Belfort—they were originally supposed to fight in February at UFC 184 and back in May 2014 at UFC 173 and December 2014 at UFC 181—before ultimately beating him on Saturday.
With just 13 fights under his belt, it still feels like we are learning about Weidman, even though he’s earned his spot among the pound-for-pound elite in the organization. This fight’s lesson? He’s tough as nails.
Belfort landed some big shots early on that opened up a cut on Weidman‘s face before the All-American rallied and finished the fight on the ground.
Now, he can finally put Belfort behind him and focus on the upcoming challenges.
Here’s a look at what lies ahead for each of the fighters.
Belfort: Retirement or Rampage Treatment
The loss likely signals the end of Belfort as a contender for any UFC titles. The 38-year-old has lost three title opportunities since 2011 and isn’t getting any younger.
That leaves him with two options: ride off into the sunset knowing his days of adding accolades to his resume are over or hang around and take matchups the fans want to see. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson is a perfect example of the latter option.
After his stint in Bellator, Jackson recently returned to the UFC and was given a matchup with a boxer in Fabio Maldonado, who was a perfect matchup for Jackson’s striking-heavy style.
Belfort might not be a contender anymore, but there are still fights out there that would be fun to see. For instance, Weidman was asked who he thought would win a rematch between Belfort and Anderson Silva, per MMA Fighting:
Belfort himself denied retirement in the post-fight press conference, according to MMA Fighting:
After coming up short against Weidman, Belfort showed he’s nothing more than a gatekeeper in the middleweight division. Will he be willing to hang around and accept that role?
Weidman: Luke Rockhold, Jacare Souza and Madison Square Garden
Weidman was already planning the next step in his career in the aftermath of his title defense Saturday. The native New Yorker expressed his interest in being part of the UFC card planned for Madison Square Garden in December.
Via Damon Martin of Fox Sports, Weidman said at the UFC 187 post fight press conference:
I’m not missing the Madison Square Garden fight. That’s for sure. That’s all I really care about. … Everybody’s asking me about ‘Jacare’ [Souza] or [Luke] Rockhold, honestly, it doesn’t matter. I want to fight either one of them in Madison Square Garden. As long as I’m in that venue, I’m a happy man. That’s a dream.
Rockhold would like to fight on the December card, as well, but envisions himself already being the champion, per Mike Bohn of MMAjunkie:
There’s no doubt that Rockhold is deserving of the title shot. His dismantling of Lyoto Machida in April was more impressive than anything Souza has done to earn a shot at the title. However, December is a long time to wait for Weidman to defend the belt again.
Regardless of who, when or where the champion fights next, one thing is for sure: The time for doubting him has passed. Weidman‘s first-round finish of Belfort is the latest example of why the All-American deserves his spot among the top fighters in the sport.
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