LAS VEGAS – Chris Weidman has always been one of the most no-nonsense people involved in the sport of mixed martial arts, so it should come as no surprise that he’s not downplaying what his victory over Omari Akhmedov on Saturday night meant for his career.
“This is huge for me, man,” Weidman told reports, including MMA Junkie, at the UFC on ESPN+ 32 post-fight news conference. “I think this was a big moment for me to come back to the middleweight division to go against a guy who is very tough, and to come out with a hard-fought victory. I think that puts me right back into the middleweight division where I want to be.”
If you pay even casual attention to the UFC, you know what Weidman’s been through in recent times. The former UFC middleweight champion lost five of six bouts over the past five years, with all of the losses coming inside the distance.
And while many wrote Weidman off, he pressed onward. His unanimous decision victory over Akhmedov might not have been the most technically crisp fight you’ll ever see, and he knew it. But he dug down deep in the third round to seal the decision and get his hand raised.
According to Weidman, this was a matter of never losing the mentality which made him champion in the first place.
“I’ve been through so much damn adversity and had so much critique on me, from being the undefeated world champion to never really feeling like I was getting the love or respect I deserved when I was on top,” Weidman said. “And then finally getting knocked down and then everybody trying to kick me when I was down. To overcome that is a championship mindset and a big part of my pushing though and continuing to do what I do is to help inspire other people. Life isn’t going to turn out the way you want all the time.”
With that, Weidman finds himself at 2-1 in his last three middleweight matchups, and he wants to capitalize and build a little momentum from here – preferably sooner rather than later.
“I’m ready to move pretty damn quick here,” he said. “I’m healthy. I’m ready to make a statement. I feel like I’m renewed and I’ve got a fresh start here.”
UFC on ESPN+32 took place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card streamed on ESPN+.
