With his recent jump to light heavyweight, former 185-pound champion Chris Weidman is liking his chances against Jon Jones.
Over the weekend, former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman announced his jump to the light heavyweight division. It was a decision that came from his admitted troubles of cutting down to the 185-pound limit.
Weidman immediately called for a “high risk, high reward” fight for his UFC debut against the “biggest 205-er” today. His confidence is so much on a high, even in a bout against current champion Jon Jones.
“Honestly I think I bring a lot of problems to the table with my wrestling, my jiu jitsu,” Weidman said during a media scrum at UFC 238 on Saturday (transcript via BJPenn.com). “Also I’m long, and I have power in my hands — especially at 205, I think that might be a benefit for me. I think I’ll even hit harder.
“I think my wrestling and jiu jitsu, on paper, is better than his. The way he’s able to mix it up so well on the feet and then trick you with his standup and also look for takedowns, the way his uses his elbows and knees… We haven’t seen a guy do it as well as him. So I give him 100% props.
“But if I’m able to drag it into what I’m great at, I think I bring a serious problem,” he added. “And also my pace, my pace is something that I think I really bring to the table. I don’t know if a lot of 205 pounders can hold up to that.”
The 34-year-old Weidman went 1-4 in his last five fights. He last saw action at UFC 230 in November, where he lost to Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza via third-round knockout. He did take home a $50,000 bonus for Fight of the Night.