Chael Sonnen is at it again, only this time he’s not slagging off 185-pound champ Anderson Silva, but lauding over Chris Weidman, claiming he’s the best middleweight in the UFC.
“Uncle Chael’s” reason for such an affirmation stems from the main event of UFC on FUEL TV 4, where “The All-American” put a championship-esque blitzkrieg on Mark “The Wrecking Machine” Munoz, thus bringing any hopes of a title tilt to a grinding halt…well, for the foreseeable future.
From Sonnen, originally reported by MMAMania.com:
There is no way to deny what we just saw. Weidman is on a roll, he is tapping guys out, getting Fight of the Night, and doing everything he needs to do. Now he is playing with the big boys. Now he is in the main event. The test was passed with flying colors. Chris Weidman, present company included, you are the best middleweight in the UFC.
Since becoming a resident UFC fighter, the Baldwin, New Yorker, has been on something of a tear. He’s amassed five victories in as many outings—two victories by way of unanimous decision and two via submission, one of which was merited with Submission of the Night honors.
His latest triumph, which ended Munoz’s (12-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) four-fight win streak, was a second-round technical knockout that garnered Knockout of the Night honors.
The Serra-Longo-trained combatant is a two-time All-American NCAA Division l wrestler. In addition, he holds a purple belt in BJJ, but his modus operandi within that discipline suggests he could hold his own against some of art’s best exponents.
And if that’s not enough to whet the appetite, his stand-up game is ever-improving, as was evinced by the elbow that set Munoz’s demise in motion.
The word on the MMA circuit is Weidman could be the one man to dethrone perennial titlist Silva if he’s ever given the opportunity to do so.
With that in mind, Weidman (9-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) believes he has requisite tools to just do that—he even went so far as saying he could submit “The Spider.”
Weidman’s current middleweight ranking by various sports media sites is between seven and 10, but after last night’s showing, it’s a surefire bet he’s now officially be a top-five contender, with serious title aspirations to boot.
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