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It had been a little more than three years since Chris
Weidman last tasted victory in the Octagon, so the former
middleweight champion will take a victory any way he can.
Still, Weidman was not entirely pleased with his unanimous decision
triumph over Omari
Akhmedov in the UFC Fight Night 174 co-main event at the UFC
Apex in Las Vegas.
“I guess sometimes it’s not the way you expect it to be, but you’ve
got to keep grinding through. I guess that’s what I did,” Weidman
said on the ESPN+ post-fight show. “But I’m not too happy with that
performance. I’m happy to get a ‘W,’ but it wasn’t what I expected.
I’m a little bit bummed out, but at the same time it could’ve been
way worse.”
Weidman entered Saturday’s matchup with just one victory in his
previous six Octagon appearances. He struggled at times against
Akhmedov, allowing four takedowns and appearing to grow fatigued
during a difficult second frame. The Serra-Longo Fight Team product
rallied over the final five minutes, however, as he mounted his
opponent and spent a good portion of the period dominating position
on the canvas.
The 36-year-old New Yorker nonetheless expected more of himself in
victory.
“Just a way cleaner fight. I wanted to stay relaxed, have fun, keep
him at the end of my punches,” Weidman said. “Get to his legs, get
him tired. The takedowns were super sloppy. Every time I got to his
legs I was a little off on the angle for the finishes. Everything
just felt like a little off. So it become a little bit of a sloppy
fight. I had to find a way to maintain control and get the ‘W.’ He
is a really tough guy.”
Along with disappointment, there was a sense of relief and renewed
optimism that accompanied Weidman’s latest victory.
“That wasn’t my favorite fight at all for myself, but I got the
win. There’s a lot that goes into it for me and my family, it’s
just good to get it done with,” he said. “I’m super grateful that
the UFC is allowing us to work and put on a show for everybody. I
know so many people out there that really want to start working and
they can’t, so I’m just super grateful to be in the position that I
am at to do something that I love to do and to provide for my
family.
“It feels good. I feel like I’m restarting my career and I’m really
grateful to have that opportunity. I feel refreshed and renewed.
I’m super excited about the future.”