Chris Weidman waiting on title shot while Michael Bisping and Brian Stann are possibilities
UFC president Dana White recently went on Fuel TV's UFC tonight and discussed what is next for the middleweight division. First, he was asked if Chris Weidman would be the next 185-lber to fight Anderson Silva for the championship. After all, Weidman is undefeated, and recently destroyed Mark Munoz in a fight that was supposedly going to decide the next title shot.
"No. We'll see what happens. It could happen," White said.
Um, OK. That clears nothing up. Michael Bisping and Brian Stann are fighting at UFC 152, could that be for the title shot?
""It's an incredibly important fight. As soon as you start saying what's next for Anderson Silva, something pops up and there're tons of guys who are ready to fight him in the mix and we'll see what happens."
Bisping's last three fights include a loss to Chael Sonnen and wins over Jason Miller, who is no longer in the UFC, and Jorge Rivera who is now retired. Stann is 2-1 in his last three fights with a loss to Sonnen. Both fighters could not beat Sonnen, who just lost to Silva. But it's possible one of them could get the title shot over Weidman?
What's frustrating about a lack of a real method behind who gets title shots and who doesn't weakens the belt. There is no doubt that the New York Giants were the best team in the NFL because they won the tournament designed to find the champion.
Every team in the NFL had a chance to get to the playoffs by winning enough of their games. Though some teams earned a bye because of their regular season play, every team knew exactly what they had to do to get a chance at the Super Bowl title before they stepped foot on the field.
It's not that way in the UFC. Weidman has done everything that usually earns a title shot, but for whatever, unknown reason, he's not getting it. The fighter who has proven worthy of a title shot not getting it means the champion isn't facing the best.
Because the UFC is a promotion, not a league, and a private company, they can do what they want with title shots and be as transparent as they like. However, they cannot be surprised when media and fans start to question if "it's as real as it gets," as the UFC motto suggests.
