Filed under: UFCUndefeated middleweight Chris Weidman has agreed to step in and face submissions specialist Demian Maia at the UFC on FOX 2 event just eleven days from now, UFC president Dana White announced on Twitter on Tuesday afternoon.
Undefeated middleweight Chris Weidman has agreed to step in and face submissions specialist Demian Maia at the UFC on FOX 2 event just eleven days from now, UFC president Dana White announced on Twitter on Tuesday afternoon.
According to White, Weidman accepted the short-notice fight against Maia after it was offered to another Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist, Rousimar Palhares, who turned it down.
Weidman comes into the fight with a perfect 7-0 record, with the last three of those wins coming in the UFC. He last competed at UFC 139 in San Jose this past November, where he choked out Tom Lawlor with a first-round D’Arce choke.
Maia, a former UFC middleweight title contender, last competed at UFC 136 in October, defeating Jorge Santiago via unanimous decision. Earlier today he wrote on Twitter that he was “very sad” his fight with Bisping wouldn’t go down as scheduled “cause it would be a very important fight for me.”
Once White announced that Weidman, a former All-American wrestler at Hofstra University, would be stepping in to take Bisping’s place, the Brazilian middleweight responded simply, “Thanks boss!!!”
The bout is schedule to air live on FOX on Jan. 28, alongside the Bisping-Sonnen fight and the light heavyweight main event bout between former light heavyweight champ Rashad Evans and Phil Davis.
Filed under: UFCAt 41 years old, Dan Henderson’s forward march is downright ludicrous. A winner of seven of his last eight fights, Henderson re-entered the UFC paired with one of the most destructive strikers the sport has known and again proved that h…
At 41 years old, Dan Henderson‘s forward march is downright ludicrous. A winner of seven of his last eight fights, Henderson re-entered the UFC paired with one of the most destructive strikers the sport has known and again proved that he was far from ready to being put out to pasture.
In this sport, it’s rare to be madly debating the future prospects of a fighter his age, but Henderson is the rarest of birds. Not only does he continue to excel, he is capable of being relevant at two weight divisions. That will make his future trajectory an adventure, because even if he loses at one weight division, he can always switch back to another and poof, instant contender.
Dan Henderson
It’s so far yet unknown just how much time Henderson or his opponent Mauricio “Shogun” Rua will need, but a lot of Hendo’s future plans depends on a recovery layoff. Over the weekend, we heard rumors that middleweight champion Anderson Silva won’t be ready to defend his belt until June 2012. And of course, Chael Sonnen remains the frontrunner for the spot. Since Silva is the only divisional fight Henderson’s interested in, it seems unlikely that the middleweight class is in his immediate future. Instead, he’s much more likely to stay paired up with the big boys of 205, where he gives up size but no power.
Prediction: Though it’s hard to project the divisional outlook without knowing when Henderson will fight again, there’s only a handful of fighters worth his time. The loser of the Jon Jones vs. Lyoto Machida title fight sounds like a good matchup against a credible opponent. Aside from that, how about a rematch with Quinton “Rampage” Jackson?
Mauricio Rua
You’ve got to feel for Rua, who is just 3-3 in his last 6 fights but has two somewhat controversial losses included. Most felt like he beat Machida in their first encounter, and against Henderson, his late performance could have easily salvaged at least a draw. Nevertheless, Rua remains one of the division’s elite, and like Henderson, should be matched accordingly.
Also like Henderson, he’s likely going to need a lengthy period of time off to recover. Given the exciting performances he’s taken part in, he deserves every day necessary.
Prediction: Rua faces Thiago Silva after Silva’s suspension is lifted in early 2012.
Wanderlei Silva
It almost never fails that a once-great fighter left for dead manages to have at least one last shining moment before fading away. With Silva, we can’t be quite sure if his win over Cung Le is a middleweight rebirth or that last moment of glory.
Silva looked good in the rematch, rebounding from an early stumble in which he was rocked and knocked down to finish the Bay Area star late in the second round. Now that he’s won, he goes from talk of retirement to a debate of where exactly he fits in the division.
Prediction: A date with Demian Maia would work well here, but given their friendship, it’s an idea not likely to get very far. So I’ll match him up with the winner of UFC 142‘s Vitor Belfort vs. Anthony Johnson fight.
Cung Le
It had been over a year since Le fought, and while his bout with Silva was a crowd-pleaser, it’s certainly not the result he wanted in his UFC debut, and in front of his hometown fans. The big question now is whether or not he will retire.
Even though he’s 39 years old and has a blooming film career, Le like many other fighters likely can’t stomach the thought of retiring on a knockout loss. He feels he was competitive in the fight and can still perform at a high level. Because of that, I doubt he will seriously consider calling it quits. He may sit out for a while, but he will fight again.
Prediction: Le spends a few months on the sidelines, then comes back to the octagon in mid-2012. Urijah Faber
There’s no prediction to make here as we already know that by virtue of his submission win over Brian Bowles, Faber will have his third date with Dominick Cruz in a UFC bantamweight title fight to be held sometime next year. It is worth mentioning though that Faber is 0-4 in his last four title fights. After three of those losses, he needed to win only one fight to get his next championship opportunity. One other time, he needed two wins. So all told, he’s 5-4 in his last nine fights; 5-0 in non-title fights and 0-4 for the gold. Bottom line: I don’t think Faber deserved this quick elevation. As impressive as his win was, he should have fought Renan Barao for it. In this case, business interests were moved ahead of fairness.
Brian Bowles
For the first time, Bowles looked outclassed in the cage, as he never really got started in his loss to Faber. There are a couple possibilities for him, including a rematch with Miguel Torres, who won on the undercard of the event. But I think another track is more likely.
Prediction: He faces Demetrious Johnson
Martin Kampmann
After heartbreaking back-to-back decision losses to Diego Sanchez and Jake Shields, Kampmann finally got the judges to see a fight his way in the end. Kampmann remains an intriguing talent in the division, because he has excellent skills in every department, yet he rarely turns up his aggression level and has never truly flashed fight-changing one-punch power. On any given day, he’s capable of beating anyone, but has to prove he’s capable of beating elite talents.
Prediction: He faces Rory MacDonald Michael McDonald
Among the many storylines that flew under the radar on Saturday night was the excellent performances from two prospects: bantamweight McDonald and middleweight Chris Weidman. It’s important for both divisions, as bantamweight champ Cruz has beaten most of the division’s top five already, while the middleweight class has little talent under the age of 30. McDonald’s standup skills have proven fantastic, and the 20-year-old is rapidly making waves.
Chris Weidman
Given Weidman’s displayed wrestling and grappling excellence (he tapped out Tom Lawlor with a D’arce choke), it seems time to match him up with someone who can cancel that out and see if he passes the test.
SAN JOSE, Calif. – MMA Fighting caught up with Chris Weidman after his win over Tom Lawlor at UFC 139. Weidman talks about how he pulled off the submission, his impressive year, if he’s ready for the bigger names in his 185-pound weight class and much more.
SAN JOSE, Calif. – MMA Fighting caught up with Chris Weidman after his win over Tom Lawlor at UFC 139. Weidman talks about how he pulled off the submission, his impressive year, if he’s ready for the bigger names in his 185-pound weight class and much more.
Round 1: Referee Josh Rosenthal gives the signal and we’re underway. Pace looks to land a looping hook when Torres comes in, and he finally sticks it after several attempts. “You got his attention, Nick,” says his corner. Torres jabs him back and lands a nice straight right. Leg kick by Torres buckles Pace. Torres lands the straight right again, and Pace comes in swinging before looking for the takedown. Torres defends well with his back on the fence, working short elbows and punches. Pace seems to be holding and hoping here. Torres uses a kimura to flip Pace onto his back, then they scramble up. Pace is bleeding out of his mouth. They trade right hands in the final seconds of the round. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 for Torres.
Seth Baczynski vs. Matt Brown
Round 1: Brown paws his way forward behind a jab and Baczynski comes over the top with a right. That gave him something to think about. Baczynski looks for a takedown, but settles for a clinch against the fence. Nice elbow by Baczynski in close. Baczynski steps back and launches a punch combo, but Brown does a pretty decent job of bobbing and weaving. Baczynski closes the distance again and scoops Brown up for a takedown. Baczynski looks to strike from the top, but Brown pulls off a nifty little sweep and gets to his feet. He lets Baczynski up shortly thereafter, and they exchange blows on the feet with Baczynski landing a pretty left hook counter before looking for the clinch again. Knee to the body by Baczynski, and Brown makes the ‘that was my testicles’ face. The ref encourages Baczynski to not do that anymore. They end the round with Baczynski tentatively looking for a standing guillotine. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 for Baczynski.
Round 2: Brown looks to start faster in the second frame. He gets busy with strikes right off the bat, then shoots and secures a takedown of his own. Baczynski grabs for a guillotine on the way down, and Brown seems perhaps not as concerned with defending against it as he should be. Baczynski adjusts and squeezes with everything he’s got, and Brown is forced to tap.
Seth Baczynski def. Matt Brown via submission (guillotine choke) at 0:42 of round two
Shamar Bailey vs. Danny Castillo
Round 1: Castillo goes to work with kicks to the legs and body early, but promptly slips and ends up on his butt. Bailey rushes in and gets himself taken down, though he’s back up quickly. Castillo lifts him up and slams him back down, then does it again when Bailey rises again a few seconds later. Castillo working from half-guard, but he’s hesitant to give Bailey the space to escape and so his striking from the top is limited. Castillo sits back and gets a few consecutive blows in. The crowd digs it, sparse though it is this early on. He pounds away at Bailey with hammer fists, and Bailey seems to be losing steam. Castill takes mount briefly, but can’t stay there. Castillo goes back to the hammer fists from half-guard and Bailey seems to be folding up. Less than ten seconds left in the round, but Bailey is just covering up and hoping to be saved by the bell. The ref isn’t going to let him do that for long, and this one is over.
Danny Castillo def. Shamar Bailey via TKO (punches) at 4:52 of round one
In his post-fight interview, Castillo tells Joe Rogan he felt “disrespected” by Bailey showing up at 138 for Friday’s weigh-ins. Bailey paid for that oversight with 20 percent of his purse, and now he has a loss on top of it.
Round 1: Referee Josh Rosenthal gives the signal and we’re underway. Pace looks to land a looping hook when Torres comes in, and he finally sticks it after several attempts. “You got his attention, Nick,” says his corner. Torres jabs him back and lands a nice straight right. Leg kick by Torres buckles Pace. Torres lands the straight right again, and Pace comes in swinging before looking for the takedown. Torres defends well with his back on the fence, working short elbows and punches. Pace seems to be holding and hoping here. Torres uses a kimura to flip Pace onto his back, then they scramble up. Pace is bleeding out of his mouth. They trade right hands in the final seconds of the round. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 for Torres.
Seth Baczynski vs. Matt Brown
Round 1: Brown paws his way forward behind a jab and Baczynski comes over the top with a right. That gave him something to think about. Baczynski looks for a takedown, but settles for a clinch against the fence. Nice elbow by Baczynski in close. Baczynski steps back and launches a punch combo, but Brown does a pretty decent job of bobbing and weaving. Baczynski closes the distance again and scoops Brown up for a takedown. Baczynski looks to strike from the top, but Brown pulls off a nifty little sweep and gets to his feet. He lets Baczynski up shortly thereafter, and they exchange blows on the feet with Baczynski landing a pretty left hook counter before looking for the clinch again. Knee to the body by Baczynski, and Brown makes the ‘that was my testicles’ face. The ref encourages Baczynski to not do that anymore. They end the round with Baczynski tentatively looking for a standing guillotine. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 for Baczynski.
Round 2: Brown looks to start faster in the second frame. He gets busy with strikes right off the bat, then shoots and secures a takedown of his own. Baczynski grabs for a guillotine on the way down, and Brown seems perhaps not as concerned with defending against it as he should be. Baczynski adjusts and squeezes with everything he’s got, and Brown is forced to tap.
Seth Baczynski def. Matt Brown via submission (guillotine choke) at 0:42 of round two
Shamar Bailey vs. Danny Castillo
Round 1: Castillo goes to work with kicks to the legs and body early, but promptly slips and ends up on his butt. Bailey rushes in and gets himself taken down, though he’s back up quickly. Castillo lifts him up and slams him back down, then does it again when Bailey rises again a few seconds later. Castillo working from half-guard, but he’s hesitant to give Bailey the space to escape and so his striking from the top is limited. Castillo sits back and gets a few consecutive blows in. The crowd digs it, sparse though it is this early on. He pounds away at Bailey with hammer fists, and Bailey seems to be losing steam. Castill takes mount briefly, but can’t stay there. Castillo goes back to the hammer fists from half-guard and Bailey seems to be folding up. Less than ten seconds left in the round, but Bailey is just covering up and hoping to be saved by the bell. The ref isn’t going to let him do that for long, and this one is over.
Danny Castillo def. Shamar Bailey via TKO (punches) at 4:52 of round one
In his post-fight interview, Castillo tells Joe Rogan he felt “disrespected” by Bailey showing up at 138 for Friday’s weigh-ins. Bailey paid for that oversight with 20 percent of his purse, and now he has a loss on top of it.
Filed under: UFC, MMA Fighting ExclusiveGrowing up in Baldwin, N.Y., Chris Weidman dreamed of being a professional athlete, but what he had in mind was far from his current job as a UFC middleweight. Weidman hoped to lace up skates and glide around the…
Growing up in Baldwin, N.Y., Chris Weidman dreamed of being a professional athlete, but what he had in mind was far from his current job as a UFC middleweight. Weidman hoped to lace up skates and glide around the rinks of the NHL, and not as an enforcer, but as a goal-scorer. Even after a series of issues and injuries led to a move to wrestling and football, and he had been off the ice for over a decade, he still had the itch.
After Weidman had graduated from college at Hofstra, where he was a two-time Division I wrestling All-American, and before he considered mixed martial arts as a real future, he still couldn’t shake that dream. Convinced it was still a possibility, he went out and bought hundreds of dollars worth of equipment, believing that with his athleticism he could wrangle a tryout from his hometown team, the New York Islanders.
“My wife thought I was nuts,” said Weidman, who says he held the goal-scoring record in his PAL youth league. “Well, I pretty much was. I played for like a week-and-a-half and never used the equipment again.”
It’s hard to believe that hockey dreams could spawn an MMA champion, but if Weidman has his way, that’s just the storyline that will eventually play out. Because even though he wasn’t a hockey natural, he has certainly taken to MMA in a hurry.
Turning pro in 2009, Weidman (6-0) would be signed by the UFC within two years of his debut. To date, he’s won both of his starts in MMA‘s top circuit, defeating Alessio Sakara on short notice his first time in the octagon before earning a guillotine submission win over Jesse Bongfeldt in his follow-up. At UFC 139, he faces Tom Lawlor.
Among the UFC weight divisions, the middleweight class might feature the most upward mobility. Current champion Anderson Silva has held the belt so long (61 months and counting) that several of the division’s best (Demian Maia, Chael Sonnen, Vitor Belfort, Yushin Okami and Chris Leben) have already tasted defeat at his hands. There are also hardly any young fighters breaking through. New contender candidate Mark Munoz, while fairly new to the MMA game, is 33 years old. Michael Bisping is 32. Brian Stann is 31.
That makes Weidman and Alan Belcher (both 27) the only UFC middleweights under the age of 30 that are ranked among the division’s top 20. And Weidman says he’s about ready to join the conversation among its very best.
“I definitely think I’m ready to break through,” he said. “I’m ready to do it. There are definitely a lot of tough guys in our division. If you look at 205, there are a lot of big names. We have a lot of underrated talent that people don’t know about because they don’t have the exposure. But I’m ready to be that face that comes up and gets that belt.
“I just have to keep winning,” he continued. “I only have two fights in the UFC, and even though I won them both, I have to keep winning. I can’t be happy where I’m at. My goal has to be to get to the top. If I settle for anything less, I won’t ever break through. To get to that elite level, I have to believe myself and set my goals that high.”
Weidman has every reason to believe in himself. His record speaks itself, but that number is just the sum of his considerable skills, which begin with his deep wrestling background, but are nicely complemented by a rapidly improving ground game. Though Weidman is a purple belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, that’s only because he hasn’t trained in a gi in two years. He regularly trains with black belts and has the reputation as a natural in the art form.
His striking is the last piece to the puzzle, and while Weidman feels he hasn’t flashed it in his UFC fights, he showed it in the past, notably knocking out two of his last three opponents before signing with the UFC.
He’s looked to add to his arsenal with coach Ray Longo, who helped guide Matt Serra to his memorable UFC welterweight championship win over Georges St-Pierre, and he’s spent extensive time training with professional kickboxers. Recently, he flew out to San Diego and spent a week training with rising UFC light-heavyweight star Alexander Gustafsson as well.
It’s a formula which he feels may pay dividends on Saturday.
“My standup has come along big time,” he said. “I don’t know if he’ll underestimate my striking but if he does, I’ll be there to make him pay for that.”
Weidman is generally complimentary of Lawlor’s all-around skills, mentioning that he is well-rounded with power, aggression and the fearlessness to go for the finish. He expects it to be an exciting matchup. And Lawlor is generally complimentary of Lawlor as well. But on a Monday edition of The MMA Hour, Lawlor said he hoped to exploit his perceived advantage in experience level. That is a characterization that Weidman disagreed with, citing his collegiate and international experience in wrestling.
“Every fight I’ve had so far, the person who I’m fighting said that,” he said. “It’s nothing new to me. That’s fine, he can think that. I know for a fact that won’t be problem. I think Alessio Sakara was more experienced than Tom Lawlor and I didn’t let that get to me, so it’s nothing that’s going to bother me.”
Weidman’s confidence is boosted by his lengthy camp. After being notified of the fight back in July, he had plenty of time to prepare and improve. Now the hard work is done, and he hopes to impress and make a statement on Saturday. Unlike his past hockey dreams, this goal seems a lot more realistic.
“I’m winning but I’m far from satisfied,” he said. “I just want to keep going. A lot of people think I made it. I’m not even close to where I want to be. I’m not anywhere near where I want to be yet. I’ve just got to keep on winning, and I’m very, very self-motivated to do that.”
Undefeated middleweight 
At 41 years old, 
SAN JOSE, Calif. — This is the 
Growing up in Baldwin, N.Y.,