Chris Weidman Not Interested In Anderson Silva Fight, Prefers Luke Rockhold
Chris Weidman is currently in a downward spiral.
The former UFC middleweight champion has lost five of his last six fights, most recently a first-round TKO defeat to Dominick Reyes back in October.
Given his level of opposition, it would ideally be best for Weidman to take a step back and face a lower-ranked opponent. Maybe even some older fighters like Anderson Silva in a trilogy fight.
However, Weidman — who defeated Silva twice in 2013 — believes there’s more to lose than gain from fighting “The Spider” a third time.
“Anderson Silva? No. They need to pay me crazy money to fight him,” Weidman said in a recent podcast (via The Body Lock). “That’s a no. I already beat him twice. Got nothing to gain from that unless it’s money.”
One fight that does interest him is with Luke Rockhold. Rockhold defeated Weidman for the middleweight title back in 2015 which kicked off his recent run of setbacks.
“The All-American” would love the chance to get revenge but interestingly, wants a tune-up fight first.
“Rockhold, I’d like to fight him but not this next fight, I’ll take a tune-up fight,” he added. “I still think he’s good. Obviously, people say he doesn’t have a chin anymore but they say that about me too. I still think he’s a tough opponent.
“I haven’t had a tune-up fight in my career. My last 11 or 12 guys are top five in the world. I’ve been [in] main events and on the main card since my first fight in the UFC.”
A tune-up fight wouldn’t be the worst thing for Weidman. Although it would be a step down in competition, it would certainly help build his confidence back up.
What do you think of Weidman taking a tune-up fight before fighting someone like Rockhold?
