Quote:
Originally Posted by BonesKnows  refer to post in Rashad/AS thred.
Weidman will have not faught in over a year once he is back in the summer. You didnt get a title shot before you got hurt, why would you get one a year removed from your last fight.
If we are going to talk about #1 contender at MW its gotta be Vitor at this point. He is on a 3 fight win streak at MW and has finished all 3 of those fights (Akiyama KO Anthony Johnson SUB Michael Bisping TKO)
this guy (weidman) is really eager to get smashed by the greatest fighter to ever step foot on this earth |
I agree that Wediman's inactivity is going to count against him which is unfortunate. Realistically he's going to need to win (and win decisively) at least one more fight before getting a shot.
Vitor is a lot nearer the front of the queue based on his name value and the name value of the guy he just beat. The highlight reel KO manner of the victory didn't hurt. But the manner of his loss to Silva is counting against him.
As for Weidman being eager to get smashed, or the likelihood of him being smashed by Silva, why should that be a factor for him not getting a shot? If "likely being smashed by Silva" were a deal breaker in fighting the guy then no one at middleweight, hardly anyone at light heavyweight and hell even a bunch of heavyweights should also be precluded from fighting him.
Weidman is 5-0 in the UFC. He beat Maia on 2 weeks notice when Maia was ranked 5-6 in the world and Munoz when Munoz was 3-4. Maia has dropped down to Welterweight after Weidman beat him but again, why is this counting against him? How well have Bisping and Vitor's recent previous opponents faired since they beat them?
Then we get the fat-and-out-of-shape Munoz line (not in this thread but it's a common one) - coined by a guy in Michael Bisping who had a vested goddammed interest in running down a rival's achievements (which at the time Bisping hadnt come close to matching) but that's gospel now?
Watching that fight is a case study of setting traps for your opponent: firing high kicks to get Munoz to raise his hands which made the takedown more achievable, and throwing repeated right hands to bait Munoz into his own counter-right which Weidman counter-countered with the elbow. The guy made Munoz look bad because he had the skill and ability to do so, not because Munoz just didn't show up. Lest we forget, Munoz was 7-1 at middleweight with his only loss being a split-D to Okami when Weidman fought him, or that Munoz was originally slated to fight Sonnen in a title eliminator until he got injured and was replaced by Bisping.
The way I look at it, Weidman has earned the goddmaned right to take a shellacking at Silva's hands with his win streak and beating of higher ranked opponents. I'm struggling to remember ANY middleweight who knocked off two top 5 guys back-to-back - can someone help me out on that if I'm missing the obvious?
Like I said due to inactivity he's one fight away but a fit and healthy Chris Weidman is far and away the most legitimate number one contender at middleweight in my mind.