Weidman Agreed To Fight Romero, Shahbazyan

Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports

As the saying goes, there are no easy fights in the UFC. But some fights are more not easy than others. Just ask Chris Weidman, who continues to face some of the meanest competition in the UFC. That and a stream of injuries has resulted in a record of 1-5 over the past five years, but don’t worry … he’s still only getting offered certified killers.

Weidman took to social media recently to reveal what’s been going on behind the scenes with him as Coronavirus continued to make and unmake UFC cards.

”I just accepted my 3rd opponent in a week… sucks,” he wrote. “Stay safe everyone!”

Then he shared the opponents: Jack Hermansson, Edmen Shahbazyan, and Yoel Romero.

Hermansson is certainly no slouch, but Shahbazyan and Romero are better known to fans for their destructive abilities. Shahbazyan is the latest in a long tradition of Armenian tough guys set to terrorize the UFC. 11 fights. 11 wins. 9 knockouts. At just 22 years old, he’s one of the biggest prospects on the roster. And Yoel … well, he needs no introduction. While he may have squandered his title shot against Israel Adesanya by overplaying his counter-blitz strategy, Romero is known to take years off the careers of people he fights.

It’s crazy that the UFC offered Weidman these two as opponents, and crazy that he accepted them. You can see the progression of the desperation being shown through the UFC’s matchmaking — first with Hermansson: a tough but fair challenge for the former champ. Then a straight up example of aging great being fed to a young wolf. Then the rematch against Yoel. Man. That’s just borderline promotional malfeasance.

I’m not gonna hate too much, though. That’s the kind of guaranteed bloodbath we would have celebrated in PRIDE. Big name versus big name! Sure, oddswise we know it’s a mismatch. But “The Chris” obviously thinks he’s still got the goods to get the win, and he only looked a bit shot in his final, most recent loss to Dominick Reyes. Was that more about Reyes than him? Fights against Hermansson, Shahbazyan, or Romero would have let us find out right quick.