Chris Weidman isn’t one to make excuses for himself inside the Octagon.
Weidman, a former UFC middleweight champion tried to keep from discussing the series of injuries he had entering UFC 194 in follow-up interviews. However, word eventually came out detailing a broken foot in two places that “The All-American” suffered weeks before he lost to Luke Rockhold.
Now, as Weidman (13-1) continues to push toward a rematch with Rockhold at UFC 199 later this year, he finds himself working just as hard to prove the naysayers wrong another time.
“I know what I’m capable of,” Weidman said, in a recent interview with MMAFighting.com. “I know my potential and I know I wasn’t close to it. The fact that because of what I’ve accomplished in the past gives me the opportunity to get a rematch is a great situation to be in. In most situations, people don’t get the second chance, especially right away. So, I’m very grateful for the opportunity I have. There’s no question in my mind that I’m gonna go out there and make a statement, completely dominate him and make sure everybody knows the last fight was a fluke.
“I knew what I was getting myself into, but I still thought I could go out there and beat (Rockhold). Even with that stuff. And he proved that I was wrong. He came out to fight. He was better than me that night.”
Weidman won the title when he finished Anderson Silva, defending it vs. Silva in a rematch and against former champions Lyoto Machida and Vitor Belfort before suffering his first career loss.