Tag: Chris Weidman

UFC on Fuel 4: Chris Weidman Is Worthy Opponent for Anderson Silva

Mark Munoz likely believes Chris Weidman deserves a shot at Anderson Silva.In UFC on Fuel 4, Weidman knocked out Munoz, keeping his perfect record glistening. After yet another eye-opening performance, The All-American’s next opponent should be n…

Mark Munoz likely believes Chris Weidman deserves a shot at Anderson Silva.

In UFC on Fuel 4, Weidman knocked out Munoz, keeping his perfect record glistening. After yet another eye-opening performance, The All-American’s next opponent should be none other than The Spider himself.

Jamie Penick of the MMA Torch reported that Weidman believes he’s capable of being the first UFC fighter to make Silva submit. He said:

I’ve got the length with Anderson Silva, so he’s not going to be able to play on the outside much with me. If he comes in, my takedowns are pretty good. I’ll take him down…I could submit him and finish him.

Before his loss to Weidman, ESPN ranked Munoz as the fourth-best MMA middleweight fighter only behind Silva, Chael Sonnen and Vitor Belfort. Silva already beat both of them—Sonnen twice, one this past week, and Belfort in 2011. But not only did Weidman take care of Munoz, his previous triumph was against Demian Maia, who survived five rounds against Silva and forced Sonnen to submit in the first round.

Weidman thinks his resume is strong enough to warrant a matchup with Silva, and it’s difficult to argue with him. He said (via MMA Torch):

This is five straight in the UFC. I beat two top-five guys. I feel like I did put my dues in. I know I’m just 9-0, but I really believe I’m ready, and I’m going to go after Anderson Silva and get that shot.

Sure, Weidman doesn’t have a Silva-like resume, but how many fighters do? He’s an undefeated competitor rapidly on the rise that’s recently taken out top-notch talent. Not only is he worthy to face off against the legendary Silva, he’d give the veteran a run for his money.

Just don’t expect a submission.

 

David Daniels is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report and a syndicated writer.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Michael Bisping Wants Fight with Chris Weidman for No. 1 Contender Spot

It hasn’t taken long for the Chris Weidman hype train to go full steam into what could be a shot at Anderson Silva’s middleweight belt.Weidman is coming off of a big second-round knockout of Mark Munoz last night and looks like the possible successor t…

It hasn’t taken long for the Chris Weidman hype train to go full steam into what could be a shot at Anderson Silva’s middleweight belt.

Weidman is coming off of a big second-round knockout of Mark Munoz last night and looks like the possible successor to Chael Sonnen as the No. 1 contender at middleweight.

Well, fellow middleweight Michael Bisping wants to have a crack at Weidman in what could be a fight for the No. 1 contender spot.

 

 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC on Fuel Exclusive Video: Chris Weidman Talks Win over Munoz, Anderson Silva

Fresh off his destruction of Mark Munoz at UFC on Fuel in San Jose on Wednesday night, Bleacher Report caught up with UFC middleweight Chris Weidman to discuss his win and much more.Weidman discusses whether or not he believes that the controversial st…

Fresh off his destruction of Mark Munoz at UFC on Fuel in San Jose on Wednesday night, Bleacher Report caught up with UFC middleweight Chris Weidman to discuss his win and much more.

Weidman discusses whether or not he believes that the controversial stoppage from ref Josh Rosenthal was late, his congratulatory tweet from pro wrestling superstar Steve Austin, when he’ll be ready to face Anderson Silva and much more.

Check out the video above.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 149 Fight Card: Dana White Still Unsure of Who Gets Next Title Shot at 185

UFC President Dana White still doesn’t have any definite plans concerning middleweight champion Anderson Silva’s next challenger.”I don’t know. We gotta see,” White said regarding the middleweight title picture while on the UFC 149 media conference cal…

UFC President Dana White still doesn’t have any definite plans concerning middleweight champion Anderson Silva‘s next challenger.

“I don’t know. We gotta see,” White said regarding the middleweight title picture while on the UFC 149 media conference call, at which Bleacher Report was present.

Middleweight, which was once considered a weak division and one that was to be dominated by Anderson Silva for as long as the Brazilian chose to keep fighting, now has a complicated upper echelon with many viable contenders for the title.

Chris Weidman’s stunning victory over Mark Munoz has seemingly thrown wrench into the middleweight gears, as Dana White himself noted.

“The 185 pound division is getting very interesting. [Weidman’s] fight changed a lot of things. We’ll have to see, we’ll have to see how this whole thing shakes out,” White said.

However, just because Weidman turned in an impressive performance that has fans clamoring for a Weidman-Silva fight doesn’t mean White is ready to cave in to their demands.

After all, there’s still the matter of highly touted middleweight Hector Lombard, who is fighting Tim Boetsch at UFC 149 next Saturday.

“Hector Lombard is definitely one of the top guys—I mean the guy is 31-2,” said White.

Ultimately, the matter lies in the logistics of the fight business—when guys are ready and when they aren’t.

“We’ll see what happens,” White said. “I gotta see when Anderson [Silva] can fight again. Weidman and Lombard are fighting relatively right around the same time. [Weidman] fought yesterday, Lombard is fighting next week. So we’ll see what happens.”

Indeed we will have to see what happens, and the wait is already killing us.

 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC on Fuel 4 Results: Memorable Quotes and Images from Munoz vs. Weidman Card

The UFC on Fuel 4 card did not disappoint. There were more stoppages than decisions, highlighted by an early second-round knockout by Chris Weidman. An overwhelmed Mark Muñoz was on the receiving end of the vicious KO—a single blow th…

The UFC on Fuel 4 card did not disappoint. There were more stoppages than decisions, highlighted by an early second-round knockout by Chris Weidman. An overwhelmed Mark Muñoz was on the receiving end of the vicious KO—a single blow that effectively erased his hopes of taking on champion Anderson Silva. 

Also on the card were a pair of heavy-hitting light heavyweights in James Te-Huna and Joey Beltran, as well as veteran Aaron Simpson making his debut at welterweight against youngster Kenny Robertson. 

In all, 11 fights took place on Wednesday. While most delivered, a few fell short of expectations. I could analyze every fight on the card, but by now you’ve surely read through plenty of those types of articles. Instead, I’ll take a brief look at most of the fights on the card, providing quotes from the fighters involved and images of the best action. 

 

Note: All quotes obtained first hand or provided via the UFC.

Begin Slideshow

Chael Sonnen Claims Chris Weidman Is the Best Middleweight in the UFC

Chael Sonnen is at it again, only this time he’s not slagging off 185-pound champ Anderson Silva, but lauding over Chris Weidman, claiming he’s the best middleweight in the UFC. “Uncle Chael’s” reason for such an affirmati…

Chael Sonnen is at it again, only this time he’s not slagging off 185-pound champ Anderson Silva, but lauding over Chris Weidman, claiming he’s the best middleweight in the UFC.

“Uncle Chael’s” reason for such an affirmation stems from the main event of UFC on FUEL TV 4, where “The All-American” put a championship-esque blitzkrieg on Mark “The Wrecking Machine” Munoz, thus bringing any hopes of a title tilt to a grinding halt…well, for the foreseeable future.

From Sonnen, originally reported by MMAMania.com:

There is no way to deny what we just saw. Weidman is on a roll, he is tapping guys out, getting Fight of the Night, and doing everything he needs to do. Now he is playing with the big boys. Now he is in the main event. The test was passed with flying colors. Chris Weidman, present company included, you are the best middleweight in the UFC.

Since becoming a resident UFC fighter, the Baldwin, New Yorker, has been on something of a tear. He’s amassed five victories in as many outings—two victories by way of unanimous decision and two via submission, one of which was merited  with Submission of the Night honors.

His latest triumph, which ended Munoz’s (12-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) four-fight win streak, was a second-round technical knockout that garnered Knockout of the Night honors.

The Serra-Longo-trained combatant is a two-time All-American NCAA Division l wrestler. In addition, he holds a purple belt in BJJ, but his modus operandi within that discipline suggests he could hold his own against some of art’s best exponents.

And if that’s not enough to whet the appetite, his stand-up game is ever-improving, as was evinced by the elbow that set Munoz’s demise in motion.

The word on the MMA circuit is Weidman could be the one man to dethrone perennial titlist Silva if he’s ever given the opportunity to do so.

With that in mind, Weidman (9-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) believes he has requisite tools to just do that—he even went so far as saying he could submit “The Spider.”

Weidman’s current middleweight ranking by various sports media sites is between seven and 10, but after last night’s showing, it’s a surefire bet he’s now officially be a top-five contender, with serious title aspirations to boot.

 

For additional information, follow Nedu Obi on Twitter.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com