Chris Weidman Plans To Retire As Middleweight Champion

Former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman has revealed his plan to recapture the 185lb title before retiring from MMA.

Since losing the belt to Luke Rockhold in 2015, Weidman has won just two times and has been knocked out on several occasions. ‘The All American’ got back in the win column last time out but looked uninspiring as he wrestled to a decision victory against Omari Ahkmedov.

Weidman has since been booked to fight Uriah Hall at UFC 258. Unfortunately, that fight was postponed as the former middleweight king contracted COVID-19. The bout has since been rescheduled for UFC 261.

In an interview with Submission Radio, Weidman talked up his chances against Hall, someone he has already beaten outside of the UFC.

“I gotta say, I’m a freakin beast right now,” Weidman said. “I’m a different animal right now. I feel good, minus the Corona. I really am fully engaged and motivated to go out there and make a statement, and I’m going to be very hard to beat. So, I’m coming at him, and I could see me finishing him in the first round again. I could also see me breaking his will and it might head to second or third round, but I’m gonna finish him.” 

Weidman believes a win over Hall puts him back in the middleweight title picture and just a few fights away from securing a dream end to his MMA career.

 “A big win, a huge statement on pay-per-view, dominating finish definitely puts me back up in the mix. Whether it’s one, two, three fights until I’m fighting for the title, it definitely puts me back into the mix,” Weidman said. “Akhmedov at the time he was more unknown, but he was on a six-fight winning streak. Then I beat him, but I didn’t get too much acknowledgement out of that. But he did just have another finish. First or second-round finish. I think it helped my win look even better. And to go out there and be able to finish Uriah Hall, I think puts me right back in the mix. Especially with my resume already. So, I’m excited, man. I really want to finish my career on a high note. I want to finish it with that belt in my hands and be able to walk away. And I know I got the potential to do it, and I just gotta stay active and keep working hard, and the sky’s the limit”  

Do you think Chris Weidman can become the UFC middleweight champion again?