Chris Weidman almost went way, way back to his roots to prepare for his next fight.
"The All-American" recently told ESPN's Brett Okamoto that a viewing of "Rocky III" left him wondering if his rapid rise to fame in MMA had snuffed out his competitive fire. In the film, Sylvester Stallone's beloved boxer finds himself struggling with his confidence after experiencing the comfort and security success brings.
Weidman has been knocked out in his last two fights, so he considered making some drastic changes to his lifestyle and training to avoid falling into the same trap.
"I'm watching it and it just hits me: 'Is that me?'" Weidman said. "He's living in a nice house, got the family, everything is nicer. I started in my parents' basement. I had nothing. I was picking the mouthpiece off the floor. I was in a 'Rocky I'-looking gym. Dirty, old gym with no lockers. That's where I grew from.
"In the pit of my stomach I said, 'Man, I can't believe this might be me.' I turned to my wife and said, 'Maybe I should go to my parents and see if I can stay in their basement the rest of camp.'"
Fortunately for Weidman's wife and kids, the former UFC champion chose instead to move into a spare bedroom attached to the garage of his Long Island house. The relatively spartan setup is meant to help him return to the form that saw him win his first 13 professional fights and become the first man to defeat Anderson Silva inside the Octagon, a feat that Weidman pulled off twice.
Weidman faces Gegard Mousasi in the co-main event of UFC 210 on Saturday in Buffalo.
