UFC 175: Weidman retains middleweight title in 5-round epic with Machida

Chris Weidman is still the UFC middleweight champion, but it took every ounce of gas he had in the tank to retain the title against Lyoto Machida at UFC 175 on Saturday night.

Weidman controlled the fight for most of the first three rounds, securing a fairly commanding lead on the scorecards and forcing Machida, normally more of a counter-attacker, to go on the offensive. Machida was happy to oblige, however, ratcheting up the pressure and putting Weidman in trouble on multiple occasions in rounds four and five.

The judges scored the fight 49-45, 48-47 and 49-46, giving Weidman the unanimous decision.

"Probably," Weidman said when asked if he was hurt during the fight. "But I don't remember right now."

Machida was gracious in defeat, as is generally his approach. The Brazilian failed to become the UFC's third multi-division champion but showed a great deal of heart and fortitude in nearly battling back from the three-round deficit. He's now 21-5 (13-5 in UFC) and has a pretty secure legacy as one of the premiere multi-division competitors of this generation.

As for Weidman (12-0, 8-0 in UFC), the only doubt that should be left for anyone is whether or not he has the cardio to go through five rounds if he's put in trouble early. This was his first time going deeper than three rounds - he beat Anderson Silva in the second round twice in his only title fights - and he looked worn down in the later frames.

Still, there's little to criticize Weidman for. Machida is near the top of the game, and the champion was dominant for three full rounds and did enough in the later stages to stay alive and occasionally put Machida in danger. This wasn't a 3-0, 0-2 split, but Weidman will need to work to ensure his punches and takedown attempts remain as powerful into the championship rounds.

Vitor Belfort still looms as a potential challenger (and he wants his "titie shot") if the location can be worked out such that Belfort can compete, while the winner of the rumored Ronaldo Souza and Gegard Mousasi fight in August could have a claim as well.

You can check out all of the results from UFC 175 in the storyline below. Note: The heavyweight fight between Stefan Struve and Matt Mitrione was scratched from the card after Struve had a pre-fight medical issue.