Chris Weidman: I Won’t Be Happy Unless I Finish Lyoto Machida
UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman may be defending his belt against MMA legend Lyoto Machida in the main event of this Saturday night’s (July 5, 2014) UFC 175 from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, but his career will be forever entwined with the man he defeated to win the title.
Weidman famously shocked the world by dethroning a clowning Anderson Silva with a second round knockout at last July’s UFC 162, an event that changed the landscape of the sport forever. And while Weidman is glad to move on to new challenges, he told The Great MMA Debate Podcast that it’s still hard to let that part of his life go:
“”I’m happy to move past it, but it’s also kind of a bummer to move past Anderson Silva because it was a big part of my life. I was visualizing fighting that guy since I got into the sport. [Silva] was a big motivating factor in my life for a long time so to move past it is kind of bittersweet. Now I get to start my own era and show everybody what I can do.”
But Weidman also knows that big things lie ahead for him. The undefeated champion has yet to be put in any measured degree of danger in the Octagon, and his all-around skills lend him the potential to be one of the sport’s all-time greats. However, it’s much too early for all that talk and Weidman knows it. He touched on remaining focused on taking on the best competition in the world:
“I want to be known as one of the greatest of all time. I’ve got a list of guys in front of me in my weight class to fight and beat that can give me a legacy. My goal? I’ve just got to keep winning. Keep winning fights. Hold on to the belt as long as possible. Clear out the division, maybe some super fights and call it a day.”
The champ is going to have to go through a murderer’s row of top-flight challengers before he even begins talking about any potential super fights, and that journey will begin this weekend against Machida. According to Weidman, “The Dragon” has looked great since cutting down to middleweight last fall:
“I think he looked better. I thought he looked good at [185 pounds], but I’ve got some tricks up my sleeve for him. Stylistically he’s going to be the same as he was at 205. Going down might make him feel a little quicker, a little stronger and maybe give him more confidence. I’m expecting a very confident Lyoto Machida, but I’m going to break his will.”
Breaking Machida’s will is no easy task to be sure, but the ultra-confident and iron-willed Weidman’s goal is to finish each and every opponent set in front of him:
“I feel like anyone at middleweight, when I have a full training camp, I’m going to go out there and finish them. That’s my mentality. I won’t stop. The whole fight will be me trying to finish him. If it goes five rounds, I’m not losing the decision because I’m almost finishing him the whole time. I’m always prepared for a war, but I’m looking for the finish the whole time. I won’t be happy unless I finish him.”
It’s a tall task to be sure, but if anyone is up to it, Weidman is. Will he finish another legend by defeating Machida this weekend?
Photo: Jayne Kamin-Oncea for USA TODAY Sports
