Though he came up short on two occasions against middleweight champion Anderson Silva, Chael Sonnen laid a blueprint for dethroning the most dominant champion in UFC history.
The fighter who finally beats Silva will need to be skilled in all areas, but a strong wrestling base is essential to take away the titleholder’s elite striking.
At UFC on Fuel TV 4, Chris Weidman completely dominated NCAA champion Mark Munoz in the wrestling department before finishing the fight with a stepping elbow on his feet. Also developing some solid jiu-jitsu under Matt Serra, Weidman may be the one to finish what Sonnen started against Silva.
In college, Weidman was a two-time All-American, so it should come as no surprise that he’s separated himself as one of the top wrestlers in the middleweight division.
Let’s take a look at exactly where he currently stands among the 10 best 185-pound wrestlers.