Chris Weidman: Still Standing

Terror in the middleweight division was inflicted by one of the greatest fighters to ever grace the octagon, Anderson “The Spider” Silva. Dominating the sport with not just his skillset but a presence that broke the bravest men before even stepping into the cage. However, on July 6, 2013, a prideful American made the walk draped in the land of the free’s flag, scoring one of the biggest upsets in combat history by knocking out “The Spider.” While some might say that Chris Weidman was on top of the world, it didn’t take long before a shocking turn of events would occur with “The All American”…

Chris Weidman had it all, good looks, a suffocating style that made him reign supreme in all his outings, with a fancy undefeated record, alongside a shiny gold belt for the world to acknowledge who was the best in the world.

Following Weidman’s upset over the Brazillian that echoed throughout the world, a rematch was inevitable, not just because Silva deserved it, but millions around the world built a narrative that the newly crowned undefeated New Yorker’s victory over Silva was a fluke. So Weidman had to do it again to leave no questions unanswered.

Dateline Las Vegas, new year’s eve weekend 2013, both men made the walk to show whether the first outing was a fluke or if “The All American” was the real deal.

The fight starts, and after a first-round domination displayed by Weidman, dropping the former long-reigning champion Silva, the contest ends in the one-minute sixteen seconds mark of the second round, the exact same second the first fight ended in. However, this time, the fight didn’t end due to a knockout, it ended due to one of the most horrific injuries we’ve ever seen inside the octagon, with Weidman checking Silva’s leg kick which led to it being shattered and crushed, leaving the Brazillian in agony and screams in the middle of the octagon. It was a scary sight to see.

Following Weidman’s well-deserved victory, instead of being celebrated by fans in the arena, he was showered with boos after getting his hands raised. A false narrative was built yet again that Weidman didn’t earn the win because Silva got injured in the fight.

It was heartbreaking to see a living legend screaming in agony. But what was even more heartbreaking was the fact that the New Yorker wasn’t given credit yet again for not just beating the greatest of all time once, but twice.

In their first fight, Silva’s only success was with the leg kicks, brutalizing Weidman’s front leg with kicks before getting knocked out. In preparation for the second fight, Weidman worked tirelessly to stifle Silva’s kicks by checking them, which eventually led to his second victory. It was a proper adjustment made by a true champion, showing his cerebral fight IQ. Unfortunately, no credit was given.

After finishing his hero twice, the undefeated champion had a chip on his shoulder, wanting to show the doubters and naysayers that no contender was on his level. And he did just that.

“Stop, stop doubting me, it’s enough, stop doubting me, join the team, this is my last invitation,” Weidman shouted in anger after his victory over another legend, Vitor Belfort, which was the third consecutive Brazillian legend added to his resume.

The undefeated New Yorker had enough of not being credited for all his monumental accomplishments achieved in such a short time. In my opinion, Chris Weidman was one of the most underappreciated champions in the sport’s history. Greatness was all saw from him. However, following his “last invitation” callout, no more invitations were needed. The darkest valleys of despair was where he was heading…

Weidman’s next title defense was set against a hungry contender that carried all the confidence in the world, Luke Rockhold.

Dateline Las Vegas, UFC 194, was headlined by the Irishman Conor Mcgregor’s unification bout against Jose Aldo. While everyone remembers that night for the jaw-dropping main event result with Mcgregor knocking out the long-reigning champion Aldo in just 13 seconds, the co-main event bout between Chris Weidman and Luke Rockhold set the night’s tone for upsets…

“It is all over. Luke Rockhold has finished Chris Weidman.” Undefeated no more, Weidman was left bloodied and battered after a grueling fight with the newly crowned champion, Luke Rockhold.

Weidman controlled the fight for the first two rounds, but everything went downhill when he threw a lazy spinning back kick which led to Rockhold taking his back, mounting him, then unloading with over 80 unanswered strikes to the former champion.

Although Weidman suffered his first loss, he was hungrier than ever to reclaim what he once had, UFC gold.

It took almost a year for Weidman to make his long-anticipated return due to a severe neck injury. So the UFC reached out to “The All American” to help them legalize the sport of Mixed Martial Arts in New York so that his comeback would take place in his backyard.

After attending many court dates for months, with the help of Weidman and the UFC, the sport finally became legal in the big apple. And the comeback was set in nowhere other than the most prestigious arena of all, Madison Square Garden.

As the New Yorker was making the walk to the octagon under the brightest lights, the crowd’s roar was deafening, cheering on their hometown hero as he was going to battle. Things finally looked right for Weidman, a comeback after his first loss in the most famous arena in the world in his backyard. Indeed, a moment that you can’t script in any Hollywood movie. However, his opponent Yoel Romero came to spoil the party, and he did just that…
“It is all over. Yoel Romero knocks out Chris Weidman with a flying knee,” Mike Goldberg said.

The man who was once undefeated has suffered two consecutive knockout losses in a row, with both being as vicious as it comes. Again, Weidman was devastated, bloodied but far from calling it quits.

The New Yorker mindset was still more vital than ever, and while doubt started to set in as it would for anyone in such a situation, giving up was never in Weidman’s spirit, so he picked himself off the ground and continued to push through.

It didn’t take long for Weidman to make the walk with the fire and desire burning more than ever, and the comeback was set yet again in his hometown, with the hopes of getting the storybook ending he had envisioned for his last outing.

The fight starts, and the crowd went absolutely nuts while cheering on their hometown boy.

Weidman’s dancing partner was the Dutch Kickboxing phenom, Gegard Mousasi. Everything was going as planned, with “The All American” stifling Mousasi’s striking with his relentless wrestling and pressure. However, confusion took over the arena by a knee thrown from Mousasi in a weird position, forcing the fight to end with Mousasi being declared the winner by technical knockout.

“Fall down seven times, get up eight.”
-Naoki Higashida

The New Yorker was in disbelief. He went from an undefeated champion into suffering three consecutive knockout losses. It was a heartbreaking reminder that the sport we all love and cherish is unlike any other, ruthless and unforgiving.

Most individuals would just call it a day after undergoing such grueling circumstances regardless of what they’re chasing in life, but there is something different about fighters’ mindsets. The only thing I can say is, they’re just different.

Weidman found himself surrounded by his family, awake but his mind somewhere else, remembering the hardships of him living in a basement with his wife and kid before making it to the UFC. Nothing was ever given easy to the New Yorker. He lived in adversity, thrived in diligence, and eventually conquered with his perseverance.

The Baldwin born took pride in what he gave to his family, from nothing to everything, literally. And the main asset in his arsenal that helped him rise into beating the greatest mixed martial artist was his ability to never quit while in doubt. And in the most challenging moment in his career with the three-fight skid, he wasn’t going to change.

“Tonight, Chris Weidman tries to break his three-fight losing streak as he faces the hungry Kelvin Gastelum in his hometown, Long Island, New York,” Jon Anik said as he was opening the event’s main card.

There’s something to be said about Weidman’s oppositions. He never fought anyone but killers from day one, and Gastelum might’ve been the most cerebral of them all. He reminds me of Roberto Duran in his prime, a sniper.

The fight starts, and the crowd was cheering their hometown boy yet again, with the hopes of him finally bringing it home after losing twice in the city that never sleeps. In the first round’s closing seconds, Weidman gets dropped with a darting left hand from Gastelum, adversity once again. However, redemption was on his mind, and there was no way he would lose that night.

They say third time’s a charm, and it couldn’t have been more true for Chris Weidman. Finally, after losing it all, the New Yorker’s light shined brighter than ever in nowhere other than his hometown, the place he rallied for opening its doors to the sport, and it paid its respect back to him at last.

It wasn’t the last glorious moment for Weidman, nor was it the end of trying times. Following that monumental moment, Weidman lost two fights in a row but rebounded last August with a hard-fought victory over a Russian tank, Omari Akhmedov.

Reminiscing about Weidman’s journey as I’m writing this blows my mind. I had the honor of following his journey since the Mark Munoz knockout back in 2012. A crazy turn of events puts life in perspective by going from an undefeated champion to losing five out of his last seven fights. What a champion this man is. His perseverance and attitude of pushing no matter what is something that I will never be able to fathom, but I honor it with all my heart.

That’s life. Somedays, you’re on top of the world, then the next day, everything you built for what seemed like eternity may fall like a piece of glass, shattered and scattered into pieces leaving you questioning it all. If we learned anything from “The All American,” it’s that tough times don’t last, but tough people do. Weidman follows suit with his quest for redemption as he takes on Uriah Hall on April 24.

That is Chris Weidman’s story. He’s still standing through it all, how about you?