Four Possible Fights For Chris Weidman To Take Next
At this past weekend’s (December 12, 2015) massive UFC 194 event from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, Chris Weidman put his middleweight title on the line against surging contender and former Strikeforce champion Luke Rockhold.
It was clear to the masses that Weidman and Rockhold were the top two middleweights in the world and the predictions seemed to be varied.
Rockhold with his rangy striking arsenal, and savvy ground game seemed to have the skillset that could potentially give the Serra-Longo product some issues. However, many were still picking Weidman to use his relentless pressure based attack to regain his title.
Ultimately, Weidman crumbled. Rockhold was able to batter and bloody the New Yorker to become the new undisputed champion.
While he didn’t have his best night in Vegas, I’d assume that many still consider “The All-American” to be amongst the best 185-pounders in the world. That being said, let’s take a look at what could potentially be next for Weidman:
Luke Rockhold
Let’s get this option out of the way first.
While it could definitely be a possibility, I don’t see an immediate rematch between Rockhold and Weidman happening at this point.
Weidman seemed to be simply outclassed against the American Kickboxing Academy product, and he may want to take a step back to reassess himself and take a look at what went wrong.
Aside from the nature of the loss, it also seems that top contender Yoel Romero may be next in line to challenge Rockhold for the belt, which could essentially be beneficial to Weidman.
Like mentioned above, I won’t count this option out, but I just don’t see it being the most likely.
Tim Kennedy
Despite having not competed in over a year since he suffered a controversial loss at the hands of Romero in September 2014 at UFC 178, Tim Kennedy remains ranked No. 6 in the division.
He has won three out of his four UFC fights, and has proven to be a tough, powerful, and scrappy combatant. That being said, the former soldier has seemed to have been talking more often recently about a potential return to action.
If he was indeed to make his return, a matchup with Weidman could make sense for both parties involved.
For the former champion, a bout with Kennedy would give him a chance to bounce back and see where he’s at while still taking on a credible opponent.
For Kennedy, a clash with Weidman would give him the opportunity to prove that he’s still relevant in the division, while also having the chance to make a massive statement.
The Winner Of Michael Bisping vs. Gegard Mousasi
No. 7-ranked Michael “The Count” Bisping and No. 9-ranked Gegard Mousasi are set to do battle at UFC Fight Night 83 in London, England on February 27, 2016.
Bisping seems to have been riding a hot streak as of late, winning three out of his last four bouts.
Mousasi on the other hand, has won two out of his last three bouts, but is coming off of a brutal loss to Uriah Hall in September. Despite his recent loss, the “Dreamcatcher” remains as one of the best strikers in the middleweight division.
The winner of this bout will undoubtedly be looking for a big name to take on next and Weidman clearly fits the bill.
For the ex-champ, similar to a bout with Kennedy, a scrap with either Bisping or Mousasi would be a smart move. “The All-American” could take on either man in hopes of bouncing back before diving back in to the highly competitive 185-pound title picture.
Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza
This option seems to be the most likely, and most exciting to me.
Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza, a man many consider to be the very best submission artist in MMA, also competed at UFC 194, taking on Romero on the main card.
Heading into the event, “Jacare” had won an impressive eight-straight with five of those coming in the UFC. A win over “The Soldier of God” would have likely put Souza in line for a title shot, but like Weidman he came up short.
Both men had rough outings this past weekend, but both will also likely remain inside of the middleweight top five and I would assume that the MMA community would agree with these men being there.
That being said, the UFC could decide to pit Weidman and Souza against each other in a title eliminator bout with the winner getting the next shot at the winner of Rockhold vs. Romero if that is what’s in the works.
What do you think should be next for Weidman?
