Chris Weidman is the UFC middleweight champion of the world, and he will defend that title for the third time this weekend at UFC 187 against Vitor Belfort. Yet, we seem to be forgetting how good Weidman actually is.
Weidman saw a quick rise in this sport. The Serra-Longo fighter was much hyped when he debuted. Weidman jumped to the UFC after just four professional fights. The former All-American wrestler was already being talked about as the future of the division.
Weidman made his promotional debut on short notice. He filled in to take on Alessio Sakara on the main card of UFC on Versus 3 in 2011—a fight he would win by unanimous decision.
After back-to-back submission finishes over Jesse Bongfeldt and Tom Lawlor, the UFC had him fighting the elite of the division less than a year after debuting. He accepted a fight against former title challenger Demian Maia on Fox and won another clear-cut decision.
Following that big performance, it was time for a title eliminator against Mark Munoz. Weidman laid a vicious beating on Munoz that was uncomfortable to watch due to poor refereeing. Munoz got blasted by Weidman and suddenly just a little over a year after debuting, Weidman had a title shot.
He would have to wait a year for that shot but when it came, Weidman confirmed the prognostication that he was the future of the division. Weidman caught Anderson Silva flush and knocked him out. And when they met for a rematch, Silva broke his leg when Weidman checked a kick.
The last time we saw the champion was last July in a great fight against Lyoto Machida. It was competitive, but Weidman was clearly in control for the vast majority of the fight. Weidman has never truly looked in danger inside the cage. That is not something we can say about many—including former No. 1 pound-for-pound king Jon Jones.
Weidman is spectacular.
He started with a strong wrestling base and added in some of the best jiu-jitsu in the division thanks to John Danaher, Matt Serra and Renzo Gracie. His striking has started to equal that of his ground work thanks to Ray Longo. His coaches and teammates have helped Weidman grow into one of the best all-around fighters in the sport today.
Perhaps most importantly, Weidman is very intelligent. His fight IQ is unparalleled in the sport. Weidman crafts great game plans but also has the ability to adjust mid-fight to his opponents.
With all that is going on in MMA today, it is easy to forget about Weidman. He is not the most charismatic figure in the sport. And due to injury, he has often left our consciousness for lengthy periods of time. Those factors make us forget that Weidman truly is the cream of the crop in this sport right now.
With UFC 187 just days away, we all need to remember how good Weidman is. This won’t be an easy fight against Belfort, but Weidman has all the tools to make it look easy. He is a rare commodity in the sport. He has dominated this division, and the sport’s greatest fighter of all time twice, with a mere total of 12 professional fights.
His UFC tenure, and entire MMA career, for that matter, does not get the adulation it deserves. It is highly impressive. We are lucky to get to see him compete once more this weekend.
Win or lose, don’t take Weidman for granted. We do not have many fighters in the sport like him.
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