Former middleweight champion Chris Weidman has shut down talk of a possible rematch against the man who dethroned him, Luke Rockhold who has recently announced he will return to fighting.
Weidman got back to winning ways at UFC Vegas 6 last weekend. He wrestled his way to victory against #11 ranked middleweight Omari Ahkmedov.
Speaking on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show the ‘All American’ admitted to feeling immense pressure heading into UFC Vegas 6 after losing five of his last six fights.
“I really do a good job to try and tell myself that there is no pressure,” Weidman said. “But looking back there was so much pressure in this fight. I really wanted this ‘W.’ All the doubters and the haters and everyone saying I should retire, ‘No Chin Weidman, you suck,’ all this stuff, it fuelled me.
“It fuelled me because I know my potential and that I still have it and I am still capable of facing the best guys in the world and beating them based on my training with the best guys in the world,” Weidman added.
Now that he is back in the win column Weidman is hoping to work his way into title contention. Unfortunately for fans that means a fight against the recently unretired Rockhold is unlikely.
“I don’t know what that does for me,” Weidman said the potential rematch with Rockhold. “It’s a fight that I get a win back. But he hasn’t done much in a while. He is coming off retirement. A win over him doesn’t do much for me, and I really want to put myself in title contention. I’d rather fight a guy who is up in the rankings more. I don’t know. I am not completely opposed to it but I’m nor really sure what makes sense right now.”
“For him to just come right back and have a fight against me, a big, big fight, he should put some work in.” (Transcribed by BJPENN.com)
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