Weidman says Bisping was never 'championship material'
Chris Weidman has some things to say about the current state of the UFC's middleweight division.
In a Monday interview on Ariel Helwani's "The MMA Hour," Weidman talked about division champ Michael Bisping's upcoming title fight with Dan Henderson at UFC 204, as well as the circumstances leading to his fighting for the belt in the first place.
Bisping stepped in for an injured Weidman to fight Luke Rockhold for the title on short notice at UFC 199. One of the promotion's longest-tenured fighters, who up to then had only flirted with title contention, "The Count" emphatically upset Rockhold, finishing him with strikes in the first round.
In a division bursting with talent yet somewhat in disarray, a champion as unlikely as Bisping only makes its future more nebulous.
"Honestly man, all power to him. He went out there on short notice and beat Luke Rockhold and knocked him out in the first round. More power to him. But I just don't think he is the best champion we've seen. I never thought he was championship material, to be honest with you. It was far fetched for him to get a title shot ever again. He happened to be at the right place, right time when I got injured and he happened to have an opportunity to step up and fight for the belt, and he made it work. But before that, he was in the UFC for how long and he never even fought for the belt? So now for him to fight for the belt and become champion out of nowhere is definitely a weird thing."
In the grand scheme of the division, Bisping's first title defense against Dan Henderson at UFC 204 won't sort out the unexpected mess he made in dethroning Rockhold. For one, "The Count" is passing on the division's elite - to which Weidman belongs - in favor of an opportunity to avenge his loss to Henderson at UFC 100.
Henderson, who's won only three of his last nine contests, has publicly stated he's ready to retire after fighting Bisping, whether he wins the UFC belt that's long eluded his waist or not. If he does win, hanging up the gloves would thereby vacate the title, leaving the division back at square one.
While Weidman thinks Bisping could beat Henderson, he doesn't believe the champ stands a chance against the division's top five.
"But he's the champ after winning and holding the belt, so that's definitely surreal. To walk around and people ask me who the champion is in my weight class and I have to say Michael Bisping, it's a little embarrassing, but that's just the way it goes."
The former division champion has been cleared to train after undergoing neck surgery to repair the herniated disc responsible for Bisping's rise from gatekeeper to champion. A Long Island, N.Y. native, Weidman will likely compete on the UFC's first card in New York at UFC 205. While his opponent has yet to be confirmed, Weidman would like to avenge the loss that cost him the title.
"I think the redemption against Luke Rockhold, I think that would be the biggest in my eyes. And so that'd be the fight I want. I don't know who it's going to be, I'm just kind of putting it in the UFC's hands. Whoever they decide to give me, they give me. But if I had to pick, it'd be Luke because I think we're the two best in the division and I would like to fight the best guy, especially a guy who beat me. I want to get that one back, especially in front of a home crowd at MSG."