Life keeps getting better and better for Chris Weidman.
Now, he’ll have a day entirely to himself, at least in the region where he grew up and continues to call home.
Weidman defeated the legendary Anderson Silva to capture the UFC middleweight championship in one of the biggest moments in UFC history at UFC 162 earlier this month. Going into the fight, he was considered one of Silva’s toughest opponents, and many believed that Weidman would be able to use the blueprint set forth by Chael Sonnen and wrestle his way to a decision.
Instead, Weidman caught the showboating Silva with a left hook in the second round for a knockout, handing “The Spider” his first UFC loss.
Now, Weidman’s community back home will honor him for his achievement. He will be honored by Long Island with a proclamation that July 17 is “Chris Weidman Day.”
The news was first reported by MMAFighting’s Ariel Helwani.
Weidman is a longtime Long Island native and currently lives in Baldwin. He won a state wrestling championship for Baldwin High School and also attended Hofstra University. He’s never really left the area, and even suffered through the worst of Hurricane Sandy, which decimated much of the New York area in 2012 and left Weidman’s home extremely damaged.
But they say the sun shines the brightest after the rain, and that seems particularly true for Weidman.
Nassau County executive Edward Mangano will join New York State Senator Dean Skelos and Hempstead supervisor Kate Murray for the official proclamation. The ceremony takes place at Long Island’s Coral House at 2 p.m. ET.
Weidman will defend his title against Silva in the main event of UFC 168 on December 28. That event also features a women’s bantamweight title fight between champion Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate.
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