Chris Weidman praises UFC middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis for your recent run.
Du Plessis (21-2 MMA, 7-0 UFC) makes his first title defense against Israel Adesanya (24-3 MMA, 13-3 UFC) in the main event of UFC 305, August 17, at the RAC Arena in Perth (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+).
Former champion Weidman (16-7 MMA, 12-7 UFC) admits there were doubts surrounding Du Plessis at first, but credits him for becoming champion.
“Dricus Du Plessis, there were a lot of questions about this guy because he has an unorthodox style and looks tired most of the time, but he really proved himself to be a worthy champion,” said Weidman. Press next to the cage.
“The Adesanya fight is coming up, I’m super excited to see that. You have a much more traditionally polished striker, very athletic and with great technique, against a guy who kind of lunges forward, with his chin up. So it will be interesting to see how this tangle works.”
Weidman managed to end Anderson Silva’s long reign to become middleweight champion in 2013. He defended the belt three times before losing it to Luke Rockhold in 2015.
In the past year, the middleweight title has changed hands several times – from Adesanya to Sean Strickland and now Du Plessis.
“It’s fun to watch,” Weidman said of his division. “It’s always exciting when you have a fluid division where there isn’t just one champion at the top. The belt has changed hands a lot.”
Weidman scored his first victory since 2020 when he scored a unanimous decision victory over Bruno Silva at UFC on ESPN 54. He is not booked at the moment, but he still has the desire to compete.
“I’m still training and I still want to kill it here in the UFC.”
