Chris Weidman performed the biggest upset of the year when he utterly dominated and defeated middleweight favourite Mark Munoz inside two rounds with a TKO.
His victory on UFC on Fuel TV 4 in San Jose Wednesday night has put him directly in line for a shot at Anderson Silva‘s belt. This is a remarkable achievement for a man who’s only had nine professional fights in his career, with five in the UFC.
His rise certainly seems meteoric when you look at much more experienced fighters with longer careers in the UFC still circling on the outskirts of title contention.
However, there is no doubt that it’s his surprise win over Munoz, who was meant to knock Weidman aside for a shot at the title himself, which has put him in this position.
In the UFC he has fought and defeated Alessio Sakara, Jesse Bongfeldt, Tom Lawlor and Demian Maia, who left the division after losing to Weidman.
With the exception of Maia, none of these fighters are the biggest names in the UFC, but Weidman has nevertheless brushed them all aside.
Weidman made his professional debut in 2009, fighting for small New Jersey MMA outfit Ring of Combat. There he put together a run of four victories, with three first-round finishes, against no-name fighters before getting the call-up to the UFC in 2011.
His entry to the UFC has been quicker than most. However, he’s already proved his worth among the elite of the promotion, having dominated all his opponents and only gone the distance twice.
Munoz would be his toughest test, and for two rounds Weidman completely owned the Filipino wrecking machine, putting the elite wrestler on his back with ease and finishing him with a vicious elbow straight out of the book of Jon Jones.
Like Jones and other prodigies in the sport, when opportunities come to make a mark in the sport, rising stars step up.
This was the case with Weidman last night. With a win over Munoz, a middleweight contender on a four-fight win streak, he’s put his name alongside Alan Belcher, Michael Bisping, Brian Stann and Hector Lombard as the chasing pack for Silva’s belt.
But such plaudits may have come too soon, and it’s important not to heap too much expectation on the New York native. Like any fighter who takes his career seriously, Weidman was quick to call out Silva after his win over Munoz. But whether he’s ready for Silva is another matter.
Jones fought seven times in the UFC before an injury to his training partner handed him the title shot in the light heavyweight division. But even then, Jones shot at the title was considered “meteoric” in its own right. At only five fights, Weidman can expect to have to face another big name opponent, perhaps one of the aforementioned Belcher, Bisping, Stann or Lombard, before being given the contender spot.
Until then, there are still fighters in the division with much stronger claims for the championship.
However, a win over Munoz has certainly thrust Weidman into the limelight, and he’s only one fight away from completing a truly meteoric rise through the ranks of the UFC.
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