Chris Weidman is on the cusp of mixed martial arts stardom. Since the start of his run in the UFC, Weidman’s maturity in competition has been something worth watching. As 2015 approaches, the current middleweight champion finds himself in a position to have a huge year, if he can continue to stay victorious and healthy.
The UFC has set up an interesting start to next year. The middleweight division is filled with a number of contenders. Vitor Belfort, Yoel Romero, Ronaldo Souza and Luke Rockhold are the four names that leap to recognition as potential challengers for the current champion. Belfort has his shot at the belt in two months at UFC 184. Romero and Souza are set to fight that same evening, with the winner presumably getting the next shot at the belt, per a report by Adam Guillen Jr. of MMA Mania.
If Weidman can defeat any three of those competitors next year, it would be hard to deny him a nomination for “Fighter of the Year” in 2015. Defending his title multiple times in 12 months would help him put together one of the most difficult runs in recent MMA history. However, Weidman has one factor working against him at times—his physical health.
As with many other fighters, Weidman has been forced to back out of multiple fights due to injury. His proposed bout against Tim Boetsch at UFC 155 was pushed back due to a shoulder injury (via MMA Fighting). Weidman’s next complication would come before facing Lyoto Machida in which a knee injury pushed that fight from UFC 173 to UFC 175 (via UFC.com). His title defense against Belfort was originally scheduled for this weekend’s UFC 181, but a broken hand suffered by Weidman caused this fight to be postponed to UFC 184 (via Newsday).
These are just the injuries that are known to the public. As with every other mixed martial artist who competes, chances are that Weidman has and will continue to compete while dealing with other physical issues. This is a serious precaution when predicting how great of a fighter he may become.
At 30 years old, Weidman has nearly six years of professional experience. That combination may allow him to stay around in the sport longer, but his potential for greatness and bout with injuries can draw a comparison to Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. Rua is just 33 years old, but numerous dealings with knee injuries have stifled his ability to remain at the top of the light heavyweight division (via Sports on Earth).
Weidman has already broken through some of the barriers that have stopped other MMA athletes. Appearances in major magazines and on networks such as ESPN will only fuel his rise within the sport. If he can stay healthy and victorious throughout 2015, Chris Weidman may finally reach the point of super stardom that has been projected for his career.
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