UFC 199 News: Former Middleweight Champion Chris Weidman Injured, Out of Title Fight Rematch
Former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman will not be pushing through with his rematch against current titleholder Luke Rockhold.
According to a report by ESPN, Weidman was forced out of his June 4th bout at UFC 199 at the Forum in California, due to a still undisclosed injury. Weidman's fight against Rockhold was the scheduled headliner for the night. Weidman and Rockhhold first fought at UFC 194 in Las Vegas last December, as the co-headliner of the night.
Rockhold finished Weidman in a gruesome, bloody manner in the fourth round of the fight, marking the third change of hands of the middleweight title in three years. Weidman won the title in 2013, after defeating former long-time champion Anderson Silva.
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The two men fought twice, with the second fight ending in morbid fashion when Silva broke his leg after a failed leg kick attempt. The report adds that at UFC 194, both men fought with ailments: Rockhold was believed to be suffering from staph infection while Weidman entered the contest with a broken foot.
In another report by Bloody Elbow, veteran contender Michael Bisping offered himself to step in as a replacement for the injured Weidman. "The Count" expressed his intentions through a tweet he posted.
Training camps separate the boys from the men. This sport isn't for everyone. 2 weeks notice? I'm down!!! @ufc #realfighter #fightersfighter
— michael (@bisping) May 17, 2016
Bisping last saw action in February, against Anderson Silva in his home country of England. The 37-year old British fighter won the fight via unanimous decision in a fight.
FOX Sports says that another man is targeted to replace Weidman, veteran Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu specialist Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza.
The Brazilian fighter is coming off a first-round TKO victory this past weekend at UFC 198, against former UFC heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort. But according to veteran journalist Ariel Helwani, Souza is still waiting for clearance from his doctors before he can completely commit to step in as a replacement.
Jacare and Rockhold had already fought each other in 2011 at the now defunct promotion company Strikeforce. Rockhold ended up winning the fight via unanimous decision, subsequently bagging the Strikeforce middleweight title.
