Ex-champ Chris Weidman welcomes UFC 208 slot, hints at light heavyweight run

ALBANY, N.Y. – Former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman said he’s back in the gym one month after suffering a brutal knockout loss on home soil at UFC 205.

It was a huge setback for the native New Yorker, who hoped to get a title shot that will now go to his opponent Yoel Romero (13-1 MMA, 8-0 UFC). The task now is to move on.

“I could go on forever about the mistake I made and start going crazy over it, but I’ve just got to live and learn and move on,” Weidman (13-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC) said backstage at this past Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 102 in Albany.

Weidman still feels like he’s the best middleweight in the world; he’s still No. 5 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA middleweight rankings. He wants a fight as soon as possible so he can get to proving that to the rest of the world. A return to the cage in February at UFC 208 would do just fine, he said, though he is medically suspended until early January and likely wouldn’t be cleared in time.

With two impressive wins, Weidman reasoned he could be back in title contention at 185 pounds. But he didn’t shut down the idea of a run at light heavyweight, where he could also rebuild himself in a division that’s historically been top-heavy. The biggest obstacle, he said, is making sure he’s the right size.

“It could be a possibility, but I would need a little more time,” he said.

For now, though, middleweight is still Weidman’s priority.

Check out the above video interview for more from the former middleweight champion.

And for more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.