Chris Weidman dismisses talk of a Luke Rockhold rematch: “He needs to put in work”

Luke Rockhold is ready for a rematch against Chris Weidman, but the feeling isn’t mutual.

Weidman, the former UFC middleweight champion, got back to winning ways at UFC Vegas 6 on August 8. He defeated Omari Akhmedov by unanimous decision, redeeming his two consecutive losses and recent record of 1-5.

Weidman admitted it wasn’t the best performance of his career. However the “All-American” admitted that his recent losses and speculation of his retirement gave added pressure for his fight and could be the reason he was able to pull a “W” out of the bag.

“I really do a good job to try and tell myself that there is no pressure,” Weidman said on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show. “But looking back there was so much pressure in this fight. I really wanted this ‘W.’ All the doubters and the haters and everyone saying I should retire, ‘No Chin Weidman, you suck,’ all this stuff, it fuelled me.

“It fuelled me because I know my potential and that I still have it and I am still capable of facing the best guys in the world and beating them based on my training with the best guys in the world,” Weidman added.

Despite his recent losses, Weidman takes them with a pinch of salt due to the fact they were all top contenders, and he performed competitively in each bout.

“A lot of the guys I was in there, the only losses I have are against Top-5 guys and I was competitive with all of them,” Weidman said. “Other than the Reyes fight, I will give him that, it was too quick to say I was competitive.

“But every 185-pounder I have been competitive against them and I am right in there with them. But you got to win that night, get your hand raised. It was just a lot of pressure to get my freaking hand raised.”

Chris Weidman also explained what he feels is next on the horizon, but was dismissive of a fight with Rockhold, a fellow former champion who recently called him out. The pair fought in 2015, with Rockhold winning by TKO.

“I don’t know what that does for me,” Weidman said of a Rockhold rematch. “It’s a fight that I get a win back. But he hasn’t done much in a while. He is coming off retirement. A win over him doesn’t do much for me, and I really want to put myself in title contention. I’d rather fight a guy who is up in the rankings more. I don’t know. I am not completely opposed to it but I’m nor really sure what makes sense right now.”

“For him to just come right back and have a fight against me, a big, big fight, he should put some work in.”

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