This weekend, Chris Weidman will face off against Uriah Hall in a rematch from 2010. Apparently this is the first step in a four-fight run that he hopes will lead to UFC gold and retirement.
Weidman has been making a claim for the last several months, that he is the worst stylistic matchup that champ Israel Adesanya has at 185lb, due to his wrestling prowess. There was some level of validation to this theory too, when Jan Blachowicz used grappling to stifle Izzy at 205lb.
That said, Chris knows that he has a ton of work to do before he could have the chance to prove that against Adesanya, having gone 2-5 since losing the belt in 2015. However he will look to make it two in a row this weekend, when he takes on Uriah Hall at UFC 261.
Chris Weidman Has A Four Fight Plan
As it turns out, Chris Weidman has a big plan for what he wants to do after this fight with Uriah Hall. In fact, he explained in a recent interview that he ideally would only fight four more times before retirement.
If things go well against Hall, Chris looks to take a fight against a top contender in the division. Provided he wins that, he then looks to win the belt, defend it once, and then retire from MMA.
“One hundred percent, I will be the champion again, I will defend the belt, and then peace. That’s it. So I’ve got four fights,” Weidman said.
“I just know, for everybody who’s out there, they’ve seen me lose, it’s not like they’re pure haters, they’ve seen me not look great in the cage. So for them it’s hard to take me seriously when I say this, but that’s the truth. I know the truth.
“I’m not a cocky guy, I’m not someone who lives off a false reality. I know what I feel in the cage, I know my training, I know the people I train with, I’ve sparred with some of the best guys in the world, some of the biggest names that we see in the Octagon, and I just know where I’m at,” Weidman continued.
“The Adesanya fight excites the hell out of me, I would love to get that opportunity but I have some work to do and I’m excited to have that opportunity. He’s a great matchup for me. So I’m just excited about this whole middleweight division, and this resurgent I have in the sport and my training.”
Robert Whittaker Can Beat Israel Adesanya Too
Chris Weidman may be ultra confident in his abilities to beat Israel Adesanya. However there is somebody else that he thinks has a shot at dethroning the Last Stylebender.
With the way he looked in his most recent fight against Kelvin Gastelum, Chris thinks that Robert Whittaker could stand a chance at getting his belt back. The first fight between Izzy and Rob was fairly straightforward, but the New Yorker seems to think Whittaker has made the necessary improvements to win.
“(Whittaker) went into that first fight really wild, more wild than I’ve ever seen him. He was not comfortable. You watch him in this fight (against Gastelum) and he was a way more comfortable human being. This fight he looked amazing. I thought he did great,” Weidman said.
“He blew me away. I thought he did excellent and I think he can beat Adesanya. I love Whittaker, I really don’t want to fight him… but obviously if we had to we will, and it would be an honor.”
Before Chris Weidman can even think about a title shot or number one contender fight, he has to get past the challenge of Uriah Hall this weekend. It will be interesting to see how his retirement plans change depending on the results of this bout.
