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Chris Weidman -240
WHAT A STEAL
Chris Weidman is perhaps one of the most well rounded mma fighters in the game today.
He defeated Anderson Silva, a feat not accomplished by any UFC fighter before him, and he did it twice for good measure by utilizing both his superior grappling and striking skills. Besides the Silva fights, he's steamrolled everyone else the UFC has put in front of him. I used to be an NCAA Division I rower at a very competitive University and I rowed in the same boat as an Olympian. Our coach used to say that "he's a man amongst boys" and I think that description is quite apt for Weidman.
He's competed in the ADCC in 2009 where he lost to a stud in Andre Galvao in the quarter finals, and not by much for that matter (4-0 on points) after Weidman had very little formal jiu jitsu training. This was an incredible match, lots of great scrambles, I'd encourage everyone to watch it:
http://www.graciemag.com/2014/01/vid...the-2009-adcc/
Kind of broken up with other matches but you get the picture. He actually had Galvao in a reasonably tight D'arce choke at one point.
As for his opponent, Vitor Belfort, there is no clear indication at this point whether or not he will get a TRT exemption. I think this will play a factor because you can attribute at least some of his recent succes to this, and if he doesn't get it, then I think it will be reflected in the juice for Weidman. Vitor is also getting up there in age and you pretty much know what you're going to get him with him. Weidman is still relatively young and new to the MMA game and because of his well roundedness and evolution, he will be able to have more control over where this fight goes. We already know that when the going gets tough, Vitor tends to fold. Out of his 34 pro fights and 24 victories, he's only won 4 by decision against average to mediocre guys (James Zikic, Heath Herring, Daijiro Matsuia and Gilber Yvel).
And despite what people may say about Weidman's cardio, he has a gas tank for days. Most people put too much emphasis on his Maia fight, which skews the perception because he took that tough fight on 11 days notice. Think about that, 11 days notice against a dangerous guy like Maia. Just the fact that he took that fight in the first place says something about the guy, especially in an age where top prospects tend to turn down fights or be coddled by the UFC.
In conclusion, I am big on Weidman, units to be determined. There's still a lot of tape and research to be done, but I figured I'd get the ball rolling since this looks like a huge opportunity. Unlike other threads with superfluous banter and trash talking, I would like to keep this one focused and on point.
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Originally Posted by rosietop
LOL
