Weighing the options of Chris Weidman after UFC 230

After UFC 230, Chris Weidman has more questions than answers.

Weidman looked like his old-self through the first two rounds, with two judges having him up 20-18 on the scorecards. However, Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza knocked out the ‘All-American’ in the third round. Everything came crashing down for Weidman in his own backyard.

Now, Weidman has questions to be asked, primarily about his future at middleweight.

Here are a few options for Chris Weidman’s next fight.

Luke Rockhold

This fight could happen at either middleweight or light heavyweight and it makes a ton of sense. Weidman and Rockhold were supposed to fight each other at UFC 230. However, Rockhold had to pull out with a leg injury.

Once Rockhold is cleared to fight, whenever that is, the rematch should happen. Rockhold originally defeated Chris Weidman at UFC 194 to win the belt. Since then, Weidman has been campaigning for the rematch.

If the fight were to happen, the winner of the fight would once again be close to fighting for the belt. Nonetheless, both fighters need to get back to their winning ways to stay relevant at middleweight.

Ovince Saint Preux (Light heavyweight bout)

In this scenario, Weidman moves up to light heavyweight and takes on a fighter who is coming off of a loss.

Currently, Ovince Saint Preux is ranked ninth in the light heavyweight division. If Weidman were to win the fight, he puts himself right into the top 10 of the division. Moving up to light heavyweight also gives himself a fresh start after going 1-4 in his last five.

The fight makes sense for Weidman as he would no longer have to dehydrate himself to make the middleweight limit. We have seen fighters who move up a division have a ton of success — look at light heavyweight contender Anthony Smith who moved up from middleweight — and Weidman could be another example. A fight against OSP puts himself one to two fights away from a title shot in a weak light heavyweight division.

David Branch

If Weidman decides to stay at middleweight and Rockhold isn’t available, how about a fight with David Branch.

Branch is coming off of a loss at UFC 230 to Jared Cannonier. There is no doubt that both Branch and Weidman will fall in the rankings as Cannonier, Souza and Israel Adesanya will rise in the rankings.

Having Branch and Weidman fight each other pins two world-class fighters against each other with one guaranteed to get a win and rebound. The fight makes sense for all parties involved and it may just be the one we see.

Who would you like to see Weidman fight next following his loss at UFC 230?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 11/5/2018.