Chris Weidman lost his UFC Middleweight Championship in brutal fashion on Saturday night at UFC 194, getting beat up on the ground by Luke Rockhold before getting stopped in the fourth round.
The now-former champ is down, but not out, as he expressed in a post on Facebook, his first post-defeat statement.
“I will remember this moment for ever,” he wrote. “It has already changed me for the better. The motivation I have inside myself has never been stronger. I did not feel like myself in there for many reasons but it was a loss that I needed and deserved. I have been playing back different moments in the fight where I didn’t do or react the way I should have but this was all part of a true master plan that God has in store for me.
“I will be back and I will be champion again. I just wanna let everyone know that I am ok. I am so blessed with an amazing family, friends, team and fans. Thank you all so much for the support. It means more now than ever.”
Penick’s Analysis: Weidman’s never experienced anything like what he went through in that fight. He can’t help but have it be a learning experience, and he’s been so good throughout his run to date that we should expect him to return strong. Rockhold proved himself superior on Saturday night, and Weidman could face a tough road back to a rematch, but there’s no counting out the man who beat Anderson Silva twice. A loss to a fighter as great as Rockhold has shown himself to be isn’t the end of Weidman, and if he can beat someone like Jacare Souza in a return fight early in 2016, he can find his way back right into the mix real quick.
[Photo (c) Gary A. Vasquez via USA Today Sports]
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