Weidman plans to give Rockhold 'a reality check'
Both Luke Rockhold and UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman have proven that they are among the top fighters in their weight class. When they throw down in the co-main event at UFC 194, only one can walk away with the belt.
At the UFC 194 press conference in Las Vegas on Wednesday, the two traded some verbal jabs. Weidman (13-0) did it to make sure he humbled Rockhold (14-2), who was oozing of confidence as he spoke.
Rockhold was the former Strikeforce middleweight champion and saw his dreams of fighting for a title early on in his UFC career dissipate when he was finished by Vitor Belfort in his promotional debut. Four wins later, Rockhold earned the chance to contend with "The All-American" and is very certain that he'll usurp the champ from his throne.
"I came in [the UFC] with a point to prove when I came here. And I'm here, and I'm here to make another point.
"People still look at my biggest win as Lyoto Machida, they still don't realize that my fights with Tim Kennedy and Jacare [Souza] were much tougher for me than anything I've faced thus far," Rockhold said. "So one more point to prove, one more statement to make, it's going to come Saturday night.
"I'm the better middleweight," continued Rockhold. "Fighting is about relaxation, it's about adjustments. Who has focus? Who can face adversity and work with it and flow with it? I feel I'm the man to do that. We will hit adversity. We both will hit adversity in this fight and I know how to flow with it. I know how to work with it. Chris is a control freak. When he doesn't have control he tenses up and it forces him into a different fight. I'm going to stay composed. I'm going to stay relaxed. And I'm going to make the adjustments and I'm going to make him pay. I'm going to take the belt home."
To that Weidman responded: "I'm not a control freak. My wife's a control freak. I'm very laid back. Basically, on Saturday night, I'm going to give this guy a reality check. If you ask me, his biggest weakness I don't think is something physical, I think it's in his head. I think it's his ego. And that's what I'm coming for. I'm just going to give him some reality and throw him around the ring. It's going to be a fun night."
Weidman became the division's title holder when he knocked out Anderson Silva at UFC 162. Silva had reigned as the champ for seven years. Still undefeated at 13-0, the Long Island native has successfully defended his belt three times. He last pummeled Vitor Belfort into oblivion at UFC 187 in May. The stoppage marked his quickest finish of any opponent in his title reign.
Combined, the two middleweight warriors own 27 wins. In those 27 wins, they've only gone the distance with their opponents six times. Suffice to say, fight fans can expect a showdown in the co-main event of UFC 194, maybe even a finish.
