Issue 142

June 2016

Madison Square Garden can wait. Chris Weidman first needs to win the fight of his life and avenge his only loss

Chris Weidman

UFC Middleweight

Alias: The all-American

Age: 31

Team: Law MMA

Record: 13-1

Chris Weidman accepts he’ll have more pressure on his shoulders than ever when he fights for the UFC middleweight title at UFC 199. MMA is finally coming to the Big Apple and the New York native has to get revenge on Luke Rockhold if he wants the belt around his waist when the Octagon hits Madison Square Garden.

Is the prospect of the first UFC event in New York overshadowing your world-title return at UFC 199? 

A No. Of course, I’ve dreamt of fighting at Madison Square Garden but my next fight is my number-one priority. Winning that fight, returning that belt back to me – this is the biggest fight of my life. It’s a do-or-die fight for me. It’s my main focus. It has to be. The New York card will happen regardless at some point. The biggest thing in my life is to get my belt back.

How long did it take to come to terms with your loss to Luke Rockhold? 

A As soon as I got home from the fight, it started to hit me that I lost. The whole thing felt fake, it didn’t feel real when it was actually happening. It was probably the most surreal fight for me throughout my career – even the Anderson Silva wins. Every time you win, it feels surreal. But this loss, man, this really didn’t hit me until I got home. Even those big wins didn’t feel as surreal as that loss. 

Does the old fighting cliché that you learn more from a loss hold true with you?

A Of course I learnt so much from losing that fight – so much more. Now I’m just trying everything I always wanted to try. I’m working with so many different guys, really pushing myself and making myself feel uncomfortable. I was in such a comfort zone in terms of who I was training with and with the timings of my training. Now I’m really pushing myself, working with new coaches, training at different gyms. When you put yourself in those uncomfortable situations you really grow.

Did the loss have an impact on your whole family?

A Of course. My wife and kids were upset. They know how hard I work and they want me to do well. They want me to win. Obviously I took a bit of a beating, so that was hard for everybody to watch. It hurt everybody.

Did you change your training?

A I’m working a lot now with Mark Henry, a boxing coach that works with Frankie Edgar. He’s very passionate. He’s got a clear vision of the sport and he really believes in what he has to offer. He really stays on top of me. He watches a lot of tape on both Luke and me and so we are preparing for all the stuff that Luke does best. The plan is to be completely prepared and be comfortable in every position the fight may go. At the same time, I’m looking to improve all the things that I’m good at too. As well as working with him, I’m also going down to other gyms in (New) Jersey, working with some different guys, different sparring partners. Just getting some different looks, some different opinions on me. I’m always an open book to learn new things and pick up new ideas.

Is this your chance to show the world what Chris Weidman is all about? 

A That’s the goal. I only trained for six weeks for my last camp, but this camp is 12 weeks. And that’s going hard – two workouts a day. I’m changing everything I can, stepping up everything, working harder and, yeah, I truly believe a new-and-improved version of myself will step into the Octagon on fight night. My last fight, a lot was going on. Obviously I hoped things would work out for me, but they didn’t, so I’ll be back and I’ll look a lot different than I did in my last fight.

Did your six-week camp mean you underestimated Rockhold last time?

A I’ve always done eight-week camps but I had a little injury going into the Vitor (Belfort) fight, so that was only six weeks and I felt really good. It was a short camp but it felt like it benefitted me, so that’s why I stuck to that format for Luke. A short camp is great if you don’t have any injuries, but I broke my foot in two spots in my first sparring session and, when it’s a short camp like that, you don’t have much wiggle room in your training to deal with an injury. If you have 12 weeks and you get hurt you’ve either already got a lot of work in, or you have plenty of time to get ready. Starting 12 weeks out just ensures I’m in the best place possible.

Are you as focused now as you were heading into the fights against Anderson Silva? 

A Absolutely. I’m thinking about nothing else but beating Luke, reclaiming my title and getting this ‘W’. And that’s kind of how I was before the Anderson fights. That’s all I’m thinking about. This fight means more to me than any previous fight in my life. I have a lot to prove to myself with this fight.

Were you shocked how some people turned on you and are writing you off for the rematch?

A They’re just doing their jobs. It doesn’t bother me because they don’t know. People will have watched the last fight and they’ve drawn their own conclusions. I thought I was winning the fight until the spinning back-kick. He was probably at his weakest point when I threw and gave him that. He capitalized on that. People just see that and they don’t know what was going on with me, physically or mentally. If people want to make me the underdog now, that’s completely fine. 

I wouldn’t be taking this fight if I was even close to my potential (in the first fight) but he was just better than me. If I just thought I can’t beat him, then I wouldn’t be going straight for the immediate rematch. I’d take some more fights and I’d grow, but there was so much that went on in my last camp that I knew I wasn’t performing close to my potential. That’s why I know I can beat him.

Does it help with your motivation that you don’t seem to like one another too much? 

A Luke’s very smug and cocky and I just can’t lose again to this guy. He doesn’t behave the way a champion should behave and that just makes it so much easier for me to get excited about kicking his ass.

MMA getting legalized in New York must feel like a huge victory?

A It’s absolutely huge. Ever since I got into the sport, obviously it’s been illegal in my home state, and it’s been annoying having to repeatedly explain to people why my sport is illegal. And particularly why it was so crazy that it was illegal. So now, to be able to compete in my sport in my state, you know, I no longer have to feel guilty that I’m doing something illegal when I fight.

What will it feel like to see Madison Square Garden with the UFC lights for the first time? 

A That will be a very special moment and I can’t wait for it to be realized. But first I just have to make sure it’s says ‘Chris Weidman, middleweight champion’ on that poster too!

Empire State influx

Q Will the legalization of MMA in New York open the floodgates for local fighters?

A We already have so many high-level fighters form the state as it is. I believe we have 17 in the UFC right now so this is really just going to give those fighters the platform they deserve. It’s really going to blow it up. Now it will be in the papers, it will be on the front pages and that’s going to be the biggest change. It was always frowned upon by everyday New Yorkers but that will change now. It’s going to help educate the people of New York and it’s just going to blow up now.

Main event

Q Were you disappointed this fight wasn’t saved for UFC 200?

A I don’t care. I just want to get my hands back on this guy and get that belt back ASAP. And I want to make a statement too. I want to break him, I really do. I want the fight to go long. I want to keep him in there and basically watch him quit.