Even though ex-champ Chris Weidman has pulled out of his scheduled fight with Luke Rockhold at UFC 199, the landscape of the UFC’s middleweight division has never looked better than it does right now. A division once decimated by the reign of Anderson Silva, now finds itself with an extremely marketable champion and a trio of sharks circling the water waiting for their shot at the title.
Weidman pulling out of this fight actually does wonders for him, the division and the UFC and here’s why. Michael Bisping has stepped in on two weeks-notice to headline the event across from his rival Luke Rockhold. Bisping is riding a three fight win streak, his most recent coming against ex-champ Anderson Silva. His last loss, however, is to the current champ. The two have a long standing rivalry that could not be quelled by Rockhold’s submission win a year and a half ago. They have continued to bad mouth each other during media segments and on Twitter, including yesterday after news of Weidman’s injury broke and Rockhold said “Bisping few things I enjoy more than shutting your mouth. The pleasure would be all mine, again.”
The UFC has wanted to give Bisping a shot at the title, and his hard work over the past decade would show that he is well deserving. Bisping has compiled an 18-7 record inside the octagon, but as the number 4 ranked contender at middleweight no one expects him to be able to beat many of the guys ahead of him. Jacare Souza, Yoel Romero, and Chris Weidman would all be considered big favorites over him. This replacement scenario is the only way that the title shot was going to land in his hands and it is going to benefit all parties involved.
The fans can certainly get behind this grudge match, but how big this fight can be is not what I am selling here. Chris Weidman took a beating in his first fight opposite Rockhold. It was the first loss of his MMA career, and he was finished badly in the fourth round. There were certainly moments in the fight where Weidman looked to have the advantage, but in the end he lost three of the four rounds. Were he to come back and immediately pick up a second loss to the current champion, where does he go with his career from there? He would find himself in the Joseph Benavidez complex; he can beat everyone but the champion.
People would start talking about a move to light heavyweight when just a year ago the fight everyone wanted to see was him as middleweight champion against then pound for pound king Jon Jones. Oh how things have changed. Now, the UFC can give Bisping the shot he has been begging for, likely increase their current champions win streak, and have their former champion take a non-title fight to rebound and extend his stay at 185 pounds.
Weidman, Souza, and Romero are all exciting opponents for Rockhold if he were to get by Bisping again. Souza has been campaigning for a title shot dating all the way back to his win over Francis Carmont. After railroading Vitor Belfort at UFC 198, he deserves it. Romero came to an agreement on a 6 month suspension with USADA after his controversial decision win over Souza was red flagged by the drug testing company. Both have cases to fight Rockhold, but Souza has history with the champ, a Strikeforce barnburner that Rockhold ultimately won but calls the toughest fight of his career. Souza has won 9 of his last 10 since the Rockhold loss, and many people think he should have gotten the nod over Romero in the first place. He and Rockhold are wizards on the ground, as well as fun strikers that would be an amazing matchup. The only thing to make it better would be that Rockhold gains notoriety by defending the belt again before they fight, and in beating Bisping he would do just that. Another victory lap through the ESPN car wash for Rockhold would certainly not hurt his ability to promote a fight against “The Alligator”.
Then the UFC can throw Romero against Weidman as a number one contender eliminator bout that would be a fight between two capable strikers who can also claim all-American and Olympian status as wrestlers. The winner would be a clear cut challenger for the winner of Rockhold/Souza and who knows what will happen then. Not to mention rising contender Robert Whittaker who is currently ranked 6th and has won all five fights at 185 pounds since making the jump from 170. He’s an exciting striker who would make for a great matchup with Lyoto Machida, Vitor Belfort, or Anderson Silva/Uriah Hall if their fight which was canceled at UFC 198 cannot be rescheduled. A sixth win in a row and against a top 10 opponent would put Whittaker right in the mix after the winner of Romero/Weidman.
All of these matchups are speculation, but there is nothing an MMA fan loves more than day dreaming about the fights they want to see. Weidman has been very vocal about his belief that he will regain the 185 pound strap. But two losses in two fights to the current champion would not be good for his career at 185 pounds. His absence from the 199 card is also cushioned by BJ Penn’s return being the same night, as well as some other spectacular fights. Max Holloway would be next in line after the winner of Jose Aldo/Frankie Edgar with a win over Ricardo Lamas, and do not forget about Dominic Cruz vs Uriah Faber 3 for the bantamweight title which is the co-main event.
Injuries have decimated UFC main events over the last two years, but this is one injury that will serve to be a blessing in disguise. Or maybe Bisping goes out there and shocks the world in two weeks. Then the 185-pound division is a free-for-all.
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