Vitor Belfort is eyeing two middleweights, one of which he has faced before. Belfort is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Nate Marquardt last month. With the victory, he’s now looking to take on Derek Brunson or even have a rematch with Kelvin Gastelum. Back in March, Gastelum bulldozed “The Phenom” and earned a […]
Vitor Belfort is eyeing two middleweights, one of which he has faced before. Belfort is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Nate Marquardt last month. With the victory, he’s now looking to take on Derek Brunson or even have a rematch with Kelvin Gastelum. Back in March, Gastelum bulldozed “The Phenom” and earned a […]
Chris Weidman is back, ladies and gentlemen. Or at least he says he is. After an immensely disappointing three-fight losing streak which saw the former middleweight champion finished in all three defeats, Weidman righted the ship and submitted Kelvin Gastelum in the third round of their headlining bout on Long Island. But that wasn’t the […]
Chris Weidman is back, ladies and gentlemen. Or at least he says he is. After an immensely disappointing three-fight losing streak which saw the former middleweight champion finished in all three defeats, Weidman righted the ship and submitted Kelvin Gastelum in the third round of their headlining bout on Long Island.
But that wasn’t the only highlight of the event, as the card featured some exciting slugfests in Lyman Good vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos and Jimmie Rivera vs. Thomas Almeida – even if Weidman’s submission was the biggest highlight by far.
In fact, the UFC’s first foray into the New York City suburbs featured several breakout performances and surprises, so let’s break it down and see what we’re left with after another strong UFC on FOX card.
5. Patrick Cummins Once Again Wins Despite Looking Like An Assault Victim
Every time Patrick Cummins wins, he looks like someone who was just mugged and assaulted. Saturday was no different, as Cummins bested Gian Villante by split decision despite the fact that his face was busted up beyond recognition.
But that’s how Cummins wins; he wins ugly. Regardless, a win is a win. Cummins has managed to work his way to a respectable 10-4 record, all with very limited striking experience and skill.
For the guy who once supposedly made Daniel Cormier cry, Cummins has etched out his own spot amongst the UFC’s light heavyweight division.
A fight with Marcel Fortuna or Misha Cirkunov make sense for Cummins.
As for Villante, his inconsistency coupled with Saturday’s defeat could point to his release from the UFC, but a prior working relationship with Scott Coker under the Strikeforce banner could lead to a contract with Bellator.
Kelvin Gastelum is making a big change following his loss to Chris Weidman in the main event of UFC on FOX 25. Since he was forced to move up to middleweight, he never thought that the division would lend to the maximization of his fighting potential. His latest bout only further reinforced that notion. If […]
Kelvin Gastelum is making a big change following his loss to Chris Weidman in the main event of UFC on FOX 25.
Since he was forced to move up to middleweight, he never thought that the division would lend to the maximization of his fighting potential. His latest bout only further reinforced that notion.
If you recall, Gastelum was essentially booted out of the welterweight division by UFC President Dana White after he missed weight for a third time this past November. Even though he was not a fan of the weight change, he did have some good performances at the weight class.
Coming into UFC on FOX 25, he was unbeaten at middleweight, but his loss to Weidman seemed like it was due to the fact that he was overmatched in the size and strength departments.
“He felt really big, he felt really strong,” Gastelum told reporters at the UFC on FOX 25 post-fight news conference, which MMAjunkie attended. “These things happen. Coming into the fight, you’ve got a 50 percent chance of winning and you’ve got a 50 percent chance of losing. He caught me fair and square.”
Gastelum is being the bigger man and taking this loss as graciously as one could. Following the fight, he noted how it was an eye-opening experience and that at welterweight he feels he can be UFC champion. This outcome of his latest bout provided further evidence in his mind. Now, Gastelum said he’s going to campaign to again move down in weight, but this time he’ll make sure to do it right.
“I feel like 170 is my home,” Gastelum said. “I feel like I need to reassess some things (and) change my lifestyle up a little bit. I’m already planning on going to (Las) Vegas to the UFC (Performance) Institute. They have great dietitians there that I’m going to be working with and strength and conditioning coaches that I’m going to be working with. I think my next fight should be 170.”
According to the UFC fighter, he believes that he would have finished the fight had there been slightly more time on the clock. Even though he believes that he will accept the result and will move forward in a different weight class.
“I wanted 30 more seconds, and I could have finished the fight,” Gastelum said. “But it’s OK. These things happen.”
Kelvin Gastelum is hoping to come back “home” after his UFC on FOX 25 loss. Last night (July 22), Gastelum took on former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight title holder Chris Weidman. The bout took place inside the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York. Gastelum found some success early, dropping Weidman in the opening […]
Kelvin Gastelum is hoping to come back “home” after his UFC on FOX 25 loss. Last night (July 22), Gastelum took on former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight title holder Chris Weidman. The bout took place inside the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York. Gastelum found some success early, dropping Weidman in the opening […]
At a career crossroads following three straight stoppage losses, former UFC champion Chris Weidman had his back against the wall in a big way when he met rising No. 8-ranked contender Kelvin Gastelum in the main event of last night’s (Sat., July 22, 2017) UFC on FOX 25 from Uniondale, New York. With pressure mounting to […]
At a career crossroads following three straight stoppage losses, former UFC champion Chris Weidman had his back against the wall in a big way when he met rising No. 8-ranked contender Kelvin Gastelum in the main event of last night’s (Sat., July 22, 2017) UFC on FOX 25 from Uniondale, New York.
With pressure mounting to not only win but also win for his many family and friends in attendance near his hometown of Baldwin, New York, Weidman snapped his streak and delivered one of the most pivotal victories of his decorated UFC career (watch highlights here) by becoming the first man to stop Gastelum in the octagon by submitting the challenger with a relentless onslaught of varied takedowns culminating in a fight-ending arm-triangle choke.
A raucous celebration reverberated throughout the Nassau Coliseum as Weidman celebrated among his Long Island faithful, and the “All-American” took the moment of opportunity to call out UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping, who actually took his spot in a title fight at UFC 199 in 2016 to shock the world by knocking out Luke Rockhold and winning the belt:
Weidman echoed the belief of many critics of the middleweight division’s direction, as Bisping has only defended his title once – a close decision win to retiring No. 14-ranked legend Dan Henderson nat UFC 204 last year – and has been out 2017 healing from a knee injury while chasing the massive payday of a title bout against Georges St-Pierre.
“The All-American” taunted his British divisional rival by asserting he was the champ despite a 1-3 run in his last four match-ups:
“That British bum who is crying in his freaking house right now: I’m back, baby,” Weidman said. “I’m back. What’s up? Stop hiding from the real men. Let’s go, baby. I’m the champ and everyone knows it.”
Brad Penner for USA TODAY Sports
Like Weidman, many Bisping skeptics think “The Count” is simply running from the top contenders in arguably one of MMA’s most talented landscapes, especially No. 2 Yoel Romero, who recently lost an interim title fight to Robert Whittaker at July 8’s UFC 213. But no matter what Bisping holds out for, Weidman obviously still has work to do to get a title shot.
That wouldn’t stop Bisping from replying to his callout on Twitter:
Bisping got the trash talk rolling in classic “Count” fashion, but truth be told, the British champ was actually impressed with Weidman’s insistence to keep fighting the best 185-pound fighters in successive bouts despite the tough run.
The two could certainly sell a title fight, but Bisping still seems to be holding out for what would be a much bigger title fight in St-Pierre. And Weidman’s going to need a few more wins despite the extremely strategic callout in a huge spot in New York last night.
The blueprint is still good for Chris Weidman.
Despite a three-fight skid that had the former middleweight champion looking down-and-out, Weidman proved his foundational skill set remains one of the best in MMA in a third-round submission victory over …
Despite a three-fight skid that had the former middleweight champion looking down-and-out, Weidman proved his foundational skill set remains one of the best in MMA in a third-round submission victory over Kelvin Gastelum on Saturday.
The pair’s back-and-forth main event at UFC on Fox 25 was a treat for fans at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum during the Octagon’s first-ever trip to Long Island. It also provided Weidman, a New York native, the chance to get back in the win column on home soil.
“I know Long Island ain’t doubting me,” Weidman crowed to the live crowd after the win. “I know you’ve got my back. But to all these other dudes around the world: Keep doubting me. I dare you.”
On a night that treated the rest of the UFC’s New York contingent rather roughly, it appeared to lift the spirits of fans in the Empire State:
Feel-good moments have been few and far between for Weidman since losing his title to Luke Rockhold at UFC 194 in December 2015. The man who seemed poised for greatness after back-to-back wins over Anderson Silva in 2013 slipped into an uncharacteristic competitive funk, conceding ugly stoppage losses to Yoel Romero and Gegard Mousasi in his previous two contests.
Weidman also missed significant time due to neck surgery.
All that adversity conspired to make this bout a must win for him against the surging Gastelum. The younger fighter should’ve rightly come in on his own three-fight win streak, but had his win over Vitor Belfort in March made a no-contest after the 25-year-old Gastelum tested positive for marijuana.
Perhaps Weidman, 33, learned something during that recent losing streak, however. When he limits his mistakes and plays to his strengths, he remains among the best 185-pound fighters in the UFC.
Not to chalk too much up to pure bad luck, but it’s possible the stretch of defeats was never quite as bad as it looked on paper.
The title loss to Rockhold came after Weidman tried an uncharacteristically risky wheel kick that allowed Rockhold to put him on his back in the fourth round.
Eleven months later, he was acquitting himself well against Romero until the former Olympic wrestler blasted him with a highlight-reel flying knee to begin the third.
The loss to Mousasi happened after a protracted referee stoppage, where instant replay had to be used to determine if a series of knees Mousasi landed were illegal.
Nonetheless, it was likely no accident that Weidman kept close to his bread and butter in a fight he desperately needed to win this weekend.
He succeeded in turning the Gastelum bout into a takedown clinic, grounding his smaller opponent with his trademark single leg, an ankle pick, a sweep and a double leg over the first three rounds.
Weidman finished with seven takedowns, according to the official FightMetric statistics. He also officially out-landed Gastelum 36-26 in significant strikes and 75-28 in total strikes, though it often seemed Gastelum landed with more force.
Weidman threatened with a kimura attempt in the first before finally coaxing out a tap with an arm triangle in the third.
It was the fourth submission win of Weidman’s 17-fight career and his first since he got Tom Lawlor with a d’arce choke at UFC 139 in November 2011. It advanced his overall record to 14-3.
The victory will no doubt bump Weidman up from the No. 5 spot in the UFC’s official rankings. It won’t make him the immediate consensus No. 1 contender, but with the futures of champion Michael Bisping and interim champ Robert Whittaker still undecided, he’s suddenly back in a good spot.
Given a choice between the two, Weidman made his preferred opponent clear.
“To that British bum who is crying in his freaking house right now: I’m back, baby,” Weidman said, needling Bisping after the win. “I’m back. Stop hiding from the real men. Let’s go.”
The win came with its dicey moments, though.
After controlling the fight’s opening stages, Weidman got caught by a winging overhand left from Gastelum that dropped him to the canvas just before the end of the first round. He recovered and survived until the horn, but it recalled the pattern of Weidman’s recent losses—where he seems to be going along fine until suddenly he isn’t.
Critics—who have dogged Weidman since his wins over Silva at UFCs 162 and 168—will no doubt point to that exchange as evidence that Weidman remains vulnerable and that this resurgence may be short-lived.
They’ll also likely note that many believe Gastelum is a natural welterweight, despite the fact he’d won his last four appearances at 185 pounds.
The California native said he felt no pressure headed into this meeting and certainly fought like it throughout their nearly 14 minutes together.
While Gastelum couldn’t stop Weidman from taking him down, he never panicked and succeeded in quickly getting back to his feet more often than not.
If anything, Gastelum appeared to be playing a waiting game. He seemed to content to make Weidman work for takedowns and top control, perhaps biding his time until the later rounds, when he hoped his larger opponent might begin to fade.
Unfortunately, Gastelum didn’t make it to the championship rounds. The two began the third by firing off aggressive flurries of punches, and Weidman appeared to sting Gastelum before taking him to the mat against the fence.
After the fight hit the ground, Weidman worked to side mount and locked up the arm-triangle choke that forced the submission with a minute, 15 seconds left on the clock.
The loss may derail most of Gastelum’s momentum, but it could also give some added credibility to his desire to return to 170 pounds. After missing weight three times as a welterweight, he found success at 185 pounds but always expressed a desire to return to the lighter division.
For Weidman, fortunes have clearly not been brighter for a number of years.
The future of the middleweight title remains murky after a proposed bout between Bisping and Georges St-Pierre appeared to get pulled off the table in May. If the UFC rebooks that fight or if Bisping can’t quickly take on Whittaker in a unification bout, it’s not out of the question Weidman could fight for the interim title.
If that bout came to pass, it would be another meeting with a slick, powerful striker for Weidman—and another fight where imposing his grappling-based game plan and limiting his mistakes on the feet would be the wisest path to victory.
The blueprint is still good for