Maybe Chris Weidman was just trolling Luke Rockhold.
No sooner had the UFC middleweight champion hinted that the former Strikeforce champion might not be his next opponent, then the UFC squashed the rumor.
Reliable sources told MMAFighting.com‘s Ariel Helwani that UFC president Dana White reached out to Rockhold and assured him he’s still in line for the shot against Weidman, as was reported on Wednesday’s edition of UFC Tonight.
This means that the other top contender in the middleweight mix, Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza, is left looking for a dance partner. Souza, who is recovering from knee surgery, is looking to return to the Octagon in September.
According to Souza’s manager, Gilberto Faria, Souza, who is on an eight-fight win streak would obviously like to fight Weidman or Rockhold. But he’s also up for a bout with Yoel Romero, which was originally scheduled for April, or would also be willing to go up and fight a top light heavyweight.
A date has not been set for Weidman vs. Rockhold. UFC had been hoping to hold the fight a New York’s Madison Square Garden, but that plan was scuttled when the New York legislature once again failed to legalize MMA.