The rivalry between middleweights Michael Bisping and Chris Weidman is heating up nice within the last 24 hours.
In a self-penned article that was published by Yahoo Sports, Bisping claims that the injured Weidman retired back in June. It’s a particularly odd claim when you consider that Weidman knocked out Mark Munoz in July, however, it doesn’t appear that Bisping is actually trying to convince people that the Serra/Longo fighter has hung up his gloves.
On Friday morning, Weidman must have come across the article and had himself a laugh.
Chris “Sick Note” Weidman. bisping is getting a lil funnier in his old age 😉
— Chris Weidman (@ChrisWeidmanUFC) January 4, 2013
The old age comment appears to be a jab at the fact that Bisping is entering his seventh year inside the Octagon, yet still has been unable to earn a title shot. For those of you playing the home version of this game, Weidman entered title talks only 16 months into his UFC career after the Munoz beatdown.
The two contenders currently compete in a division that has redefined trash talk in MMA, mostly thanks to Chael Sonnen’s epic war of words with Anderson Silva. With the obvious perks of slamming your opponents, why shouldn’t other contenders get in on the fun.
Weidman fired the first shot in the war in late July. Just weeks after slaughtering Mark Munoz in his first main event, “Sick Note” sat down with Fighters Only Magazine.
I know he is good and talented and he has faced some good guys but every time he has faced a top ten guy he has lost. Like with the Chael Sonnen fight he did awesome and a lot of people thought he could have won but he didn’t find the way to win.
And I am not knocking him – I think he’s a great fighter, I really do – but I question his mentality against top guys when the pressure is on. Which is pretty much what everyone says about him. He has had chances to fight for the title twice now and he doesn’t come through when the pressure is on.
It didn’t take long for “The Count” to return fire by calling Weidman a wiesel. However, the gloves really came off in a November interview with MMAmania.com. Bisping called out Weidman and entirely dismissed his standup.
Weidman’s stand-up is very very poor, it’s not good at all. He’s a very good wrestler, very good grappler, but I do well against those guys. I’d get back to my feet and knock him out.
Stay tuned to this heated rivalry, because a fight is inevitable between the two. If Bisping gets passed Vitor Belfort at UFC on FX 7 on January 19, he has been promised a title shot. However, with champion Anderson Silva reportedly disinterested in fighting until late 2013, it’s very possible that Weidman’s summer return could be a title eliminator against “The Count.”
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