Issue 148
December 2016
Fights that made Chris Weidman champion and one that'll make him better than ever.
UFC Middleweight,
Alias: The All-American,
Team: Law MMA,
Record: 14-5-0.
1: HELL-BOW
- vs. Mark Munoz,
- UFC on Fuel TV 4 (07/11/12).
After just eight pro fights, Chris Weidman headlined a UFC card for the first time and beat Mark Munoz to unlocked his world title ambitions.
“Mark had been due to fight Chael Sonnen in an eliminator to face Anderson Silva, so he was right in the mix at that time,” he says.
“I knew I victory against him would get me close to a title shot. So to get the finish like I did in the second round – with the elbow and the ground ‘n’ pound – was very satisfying as it allowed me to call out Anderson and it got me what I was in the UFC to do – defeat the greatest of all time.”
2: INCREDIBLE
- vs. Anderson Silva,
- UFC 162 (07/06/13).
“That moment will go down as the biggest moment of my life. I’d wanted to win the UFC belt for such a long time – ever since I got into the sport. And I wanted to be the man to defeat Anderson Silva at the same time.
"I went through all the uncertainty and doubts along the way to get there and finally make it happen.
"So that feeling of success at that moment was unparalleled to anything else I’ve achieved.”
3: DOUBLE TAP
- vs. Anderson Silva 2
- UFC 168 (12/28/13).
“When I beat him at UFC 162 I knew the goal and the dream wasn’t over. My mission was only 50% complete.
"He was knocked out but as soon as he woke up I said to him, ‘We have to have an immediate rematch.’ Defeating Anderson was always a two-part plan. After I beat him the second time I really had to sit down and reassess my goals.
"That’s when it was over. He was gone.”
4: THE STATEMENT
- vs. Vitor Belfort,
- UFC 187 (05/23/15).
“Beating Vitor like that (first-round TKO) was a huge thing for me. I really wanted to make a statement in this fight.
After defeating Anderson twice I’d just come through a really tough fight against Lyoto (Machida), so I wanted the finish. Vitor was coming off the back of three huge wins himself, all against top contenders, plus he’d really pushed Jon Jones hard in their title fight too.
"So I saw this as my opportunity to really prove my dominance of the division and it went like clockwork.”
5: IN A SPIN
- vs Luke Rockhold,
- UFC 194 (12/15/15).
“No excuses, he was the better man than me that night. Losing my belt was really hard for me. But I always see the big picture. This loss was always going to be one of those blessing-in-disguise moments in my life.
"This needed to happen for me to be able to grow and reach my full potential as a human being and a fighter. It helped me to regain my focus, reassess my set-up and training practices and it’s ultimately made me a better athlete.
"Revenge is coming soon – don’t worry about that. But I’ll never shy away from this loss. It was a critical moment in my career – potentially the most critical moment of all.”
- GARDEN INSPIRATION
Fighting on the UFC’s first New York event since its ban was lifted will be another huge moment for Weidman.
“I’ve dreamt of fighting at Madison Square Garden, like most fight fans, my entire life. Of course I would have liked to be defending my UFC title here, but things happen and we just have to move on.
"Regardless of who has the belt now, I just have to focus on winning my own fight and the rest will take care of itself.
"Seeing the UFC logo over the Octagon inside the Garden will be a special moment and I know it will bring out the very best in me.”
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