UFC 187 saw the legend of Chris Weidman grow. Yes, the legend of Chris Weidman.
The UFC middleweight champion continued his reign of dominance with a quick victory over Vitor Belfort in the co-main event of the evening. He withstood an early barrage of punches and then responded with a beatdown.
It was an interesting fight before the weigh-ins, but Weidman and Belfort jawed back and forth with one another. As MMA Fighting notes, Weidman took the mix and exclaimed that Belfort was still cheating. The surprising promo cut by Weidman made the fight all the more interesting. And with a fire lit under him, he made an example of “The Phenom.”
If that fire continues to burn under Weidman, the rest of the division should be very concerned. Weidman took Belfort down easily, passed into mount more easily and beat Belfort up until the referee stepped in to save the Brazilian.
It was another Brazilian star on the ledger for Weidman. He has now defeated Anderson Silva, Lyoto Machida and Belfort during his title reign. He continues to be more impressive in each outing. Weidman is a dominant champion who is underappreciated. Perhaps his UFC 187 showing will endear him to more fans.
At the Las Vegas fight, 12,615 people saw Weidman destroy his latest challenger.
Weidman has two credible challengers lying in wait in Luke Rockhold and Jacare Souza, but Dana White told ESPN’s Brett Okamoto that there is no announcement on who is next. If the champion had his way, it would be Rockhold, or so he said at the post-fight press conference.
The champ specifically said the only thing he cares about right now is the impending Madison Square Garden fight card should New York legalize the sport of MMA. That event is very important to him, and after Saturday’s performance the UFC should give him whatever he wants.
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