Chris Weidman battered challenger Lyoto Machida for his first defense of the UFC middleweight belt against a fighter not named Anderson Silva at UFC 175 on Saturday.
The fight began with Weidman‘s trademark pressure and aggression. Though Machida was too fast and smart to allow the champ to cut off the cage in earnest, he did find himself moving backward on a regular basis and thus unable to mount substantial offense beyond counterstriking.
As the action wore on, Weidman began to open up, landing right hands, body kicks and knees that damaged the challenger. Machida was gashed open on the forehead, and it was probably the biggest cut he’s suffered in the Octagon.
It went that way for three rounds, with Weidman stalking down Machida and doing some damage before Machida skittered out of harm’s way, possibly firing off a counter as a parting shot.
That all changed, however, in the fourth round. Machida stunned Weidman with a left hook and almost immediately became the aggressor. The momentum shifted emphatically for the challenger, and The Dragon clearly won the fourth round.
In the fifth, Weidman regained his composure, though the action was a back-and-forth affair throughout the final five minutes. A Hail Mary flurry from Machida in the fight’s closing seconds did plenty of damage but wasn’t enough to secure the finish.
The champ took the decision 49-45, 48-47 and 49-46 on the judges’ scorecards.
It is unclear what is next for both fighters. Weidman is now a perfect 12-0 as a pro and appears to have almost limitless potential as a 30-year-old with plenty of prime years remaining.
Machida will likely continue on in the middleweight division, where he is now 2-1. Though he was not the better man Saturday night at UFC 175, he is still a supremely talented and wildly popular fighter. The former light heavyweight champion is now 21-5 overall, though at age 36 it is difficult to tell how much longer he’ll remain at the sport’s most elite level.
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