Winning appeals to everyone, but greatness is something achieved by few—Chris Weidman is in pursuit of the latter.
A quick glance at his resume shows The All-American has made tremendous strides toward that goal over the past three years, as Weidman has toppled a collection of former champions and pound-for-pound greats during his ascension to the top of the 185-pound ranks.
Yet, despite an impressive streak of victories where he bested Anderson Silva in back-to-back outings, out-worked Lyoto Machida and smashed Brazilian powerhouse Vitor Belfort, the sweeping tides of respect have yet to pour in from the MMA community.
It’s almost as if the Serra-Longo representative’s dominance inside the cage has come in a fashion the MMA fighting faithful has yet to be able to process, and the middleweight champion has been clear about the window for such things growing smaller and smaller by the day. The 31-year-old champion hasn’t backed off that stance. In fact, he’s doubling down on the sentiment.
“They will all look dumb one fight at a time,” Weidman told Bleacher Report in an exclusive interview. “I don’t mind it because I don’t mind proving people wrong. The people that have joined the team already are very smart people. They are all intelligent. The other ones are a little slower, and it’s taking them some time to catch up. Eventually it’s going to reach a point where there aren’t anymore questions and it’s just like the draft where they’re drafted and that’s it they’re in.
“I’m open-minded, and I hear people. I try to understand low intelligence and put myself on that wavelength in an attempt to cooperate with it. So I understand, and it’s not their fault, but eventually they are going to be on the team.”
While there is yet to be an official date for the Long Island-based titleholder’s next bout, Luke Rockhold has already been slated as the next fighter to contend for the middleweight strap. The American Kickboxing Academy standout has won four of his five showings since coming over from the now-defunct Strikeforce banner and has made a clear-cut case for title contention in the process.
The California-based middleweight has finished each of the last four opponents he’s faced inside the Octagon and has steadily built momentum toward an eventual showdown with Weidman. Yet, where the reigning 185-pound king is quick to acknowledge Rockhold’s talent as a fighter, he isn’t willing to entertain even the slightest thought that the newly minted No. 1 contender has what it takes to defeat him.
The majority of Weidman’s confidence in the matter stems from the wealth of self-belief he carries, but he also draws from the feedback exchanged between mutual friends both he and Rockhold share in the MMA bubble.
“I don’t think he really believes he can beat me,” Weidman said. “There are just too many people who have trained with me who have trained with him and the word has spread. This is not a closed training session anymore. We have a lot of the same friends and he knows he’s in for a very big problem. Anything can happen in a fight, and I know he’s hoping for the best, but the chances of him beating me are extremely low.”
Regardless of what Weidman believes the outcome will be, a fight will have to take place, and fights need to be promoted. With that in mind, both fighters have used social media platforms and interviews with the media to generate a buzz for their forthcoming matchup. Both champion and challenger have taken turns lobbing barbs in the other’s direction, and the MMA community has been eating up the crisp banter between them.
Nevertheless, Weidman recently upped the ante in the battle before the battle when he shed some light on Rockhold’s friend and teammate Daniel Cormier ghostwriting some of Rockhold’s tweets.
“He admitted it,” Weidman said. “If Luke has a clever tweet it’s not him writing it. That’s pretty obvious from anyone who knows Luke. I like Luke, but I knew those tweets weren’t coming from him. I called him out on it and I kept it real. I was having fun with it at the same time though.”
Until the UFC sets the date for his upcoming bout with Rockhold, the middleweight finishing machine will continue his work to make an already dangerous skill set more so. Over the past three years, Weidman has shown rapid growth in his striking abilities as he’s leveled some of the middleweight division’s best, as well as the fighter widely regarded as the greatest mixed martial artist of all time, with crisp power shots.
In addition to his evolving talent in the stand-up department, a rock-solid wrestling foundation and a lights-out grappling game make it easy to see why Weidman has never stepped out of the cage on the losing end of things. He’s a versatile threat anywhere the fight takes place, and those strengths have come through the diligent work he’s invested inside the gym.
Where some fighters reach the pinnacle of success and begin to rest on past achievements, the middleweight champion’s dedication to his education as a fighter has never allowed him to travel any other path but that of a pupil inside the gym. That mindset has continuously produced growth, which in turn has attributed to his consistent success at the highest level of mixed martial arts.
“There are times I get lucky and can do things right away and it looks good and people are impressed, but there are times when I struggle,” Weidman said. “I will see something I want to do, and I may not get it that day. But I think the thing that makes me different from other fighters is that I’m open-minded and never think I know everything. I actually feel like I know nothing and that allows me to learn on a different level.
“I’m also a visual learner. I watch something in the gym, try to do it and may not get it. When I go home that night and my wife is talking to me and I’m not answering her, it is because I’m visualizing that thing I’m working on. I’ll do that all day long. Before I go to bed I’m still thinking about it and that happens until I can see myself doing it. Once I see myself doing something my body will follow. If I can see myself doing it and understand the movement, the next day it will happen. Guaranteed it will happen.”
When it comes to the developments Weidman makes as a fighter, nobody has a better view of the situation than his longtime coach Ray Longo. The Godfather has been with the middleweight technician from the first day he stepped into the gym to become a fighter and remains a crucial element in Weidman’s dominant reign over the 185-pound ranks.
And even though Longo knew Weidman was going to be something special from the beginning, watching the process unfold is still something he’s fascinated with.
“Chris is the consummate professional,” Longo told Bleacher Report during a stop on the MMA Road Trip Project. “I think I knew it the first time I saw him. He exceeds every goal he sets for himself, and he’s for real. The kid is an absolute beast, and his fighting I.Q. is off the charts. If they had Mensa for fighting he’d be in it. He’s a genius and actually puts it to work.”
The resume Weidman has already established is in a league shared by few, but he has aspirations outside the Octagon he’s looking to achieve as well. The current era of MMA is one where few role models can be found, and that is a charge Weidman is ready, willing and able to lead.
He garnered acclaim in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy for his efforts to help re-build homes of those who were affected by the storm in Staten Island and has been in multiple charitable efforts in the time since. Furthermore, Weidman is a proud family man who champions a stability not often found at the very top of the combat sports stratosphere.
And while calm waters rarely attract attention on the current sports landscape, Weidman takes a tremendous amount of pride in the example he can provide because just getting the chance to provide it means the hard work he’s invested is paying off.
“The whole point of doing this is to get to the top where you can be an example for others,” Weidman said. “It’s an entertainment sport and we go out to entertain the fans, but at the end of the day, what really matters is your influence on others. You want to help people and make the world a better place in whatever way you can. I’ve tried to share the things I’ve learned, and for me it really is all about being a role model.”
Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.
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