Report: Weidman-Hermansson To Main Event UFC Oklahoma City
When Chris Weidman announced his return to middleweight, it was unknown who his next challenger would be. Would the “All-American” go straight to the big fights or work his way back up the division? It appears he is doing the former.
According to ESPN, Weidman will face off against Jack Hermansson in the main event of UFC Fight Night 174 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The UFC made the official announcement later in the day.
OFFICIAL!
🇸🇪 @JackTheJokerMMA vs 🇺🇸 @ChrisWeidman headlines the UFC's return to Oklahoma! #UFCOKC pic.twitter.com/MjvDuHsdTa
— UFC (@ufc) February 20, 2020
Following a run the UFC’s middleweight division in which he started 5-0, Weidman (14-5) won the UFC Middleweight Championship off of Anderson Silva at UFC 162. It was a defining moment for Weidman, and he defended the title three times. Since losing the title to Luke Rockhold at UFC 194 in 2015, Weidman has only managed one win in five fights. He has consistently faced tough competition and fighters within the middleweight top ten. He has lost to Yoel Romero (KO), Gegard Mousasi (TKO) and Ronaldo Souza (KO). All losses have had some form of controversy to it.
Weidman rebounded in 2017 with a submission-win against Kelvin Gastelum, but all has been quiet since. He attempted to take over the light heavyweight division but faced another top contender in Dominick Reyes in his first fight in a new divison. He was knocked out in the first round. Now, Weidman looks to return to his former glory.
Ranked sixth in the UFC’s middleweight rankings, Hermansson (20-5) is coming off of a TKO-loss to Jared Cannonier back in September. Prior to that, the former Cage Warriors Middleweight Champion was on a four fight win streak. Joining the UFC in 2016, the 31-year-old is 7-3 inside the octagon.
A true title contender before the loss, “The Joker” will look to be another fighter to take down Weidman. Hermansson could either be the one to erase him from the history books, or the one that brings Weidman back into the spotlight.
UFC Fight Night 174 will be taking place inside the Chesapeake Energy Arena on May 2.