Top-ranked middleweights Jacare Souza and Chris Weidman met in an all-out war in the co-main event of last night’s (Sat., November 3, 2018) UFC 230 from Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York.
Souza ultimately won the blood-stained battle with a vicious and controversial knockout in the third (highlights here). The bout was clearly the deserving winner of UFC 230’s ‘Fight of the Night’ bonus. But the cash will hardly soften the blow for former champion Weidman. After rebounding from a three-fight losing streak by submitting Kelvin Gastelum, Weidman was eying a title shot.
And he nearly had it in the bag, as he was up two rounds on two of the judges’ scorecards. All Weidman had to was survive the round. Instead, he was again finished brutally for yet another setback in his once-great career. The loss was also his second heartbreaking knockout defeat in Madison Square Garden in his home state. It was a vicious blow, yet Weidman is choosing to remain positive.
He issued a statement showing the utmost respect and congratulations to Souza and his family while stating he would be back:
Unfortunately last night didn’t workout for me. Congrats to Jacare & his family & team on a amazing win. He is a true warrior & it was an honor to share the octagon with him. Thanks to everyone for the support, love & prayers. I appreciate it all. I will be back better from this!
— Chris Weidman (@chrisweidman) November 4, 2018
There’s definitely a chance Weidman can rebound from his latest loss, no matter how dire the situation seems. He arguably never looked better in the early going of the classic fight last night. Weidman worked his jab and combinations with ruthless efficiency. Yet striking defense was still his undoing.
Even if he can string together a few wins, getting back to a title shot will be difficult based on the changing middleweight title picture. Future stars like Israel Adesanya and even Jarod Cannonier are winning and will fill the top spots soon. It’s a shame because you could certainly argue Weidman was winning every single one of his four recent losses.
The former champ has seen far better days, yet he may never have looked better. That’s the cruel oxymoron of the fight game. At 34, Weidman may have some gas left in the tank. But it’s time to start winning again if he has any chance to stay at the top.
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