Former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold is not ruling out a potential rematch with Chris Weidman at light heavyweight.
The two clashed in the co-main event of UFC 194 in December 2015 in a back-and-forth contest that eventually saw Rockhold brutally defeat Weidman via ground and pound to become the new 185-pound king.
They have since been slated to face each other in a rematch twice — the first time, Weidman had to pull out, with Michael Bisping stepping in and eventually dethroning Rockhold at UFC 199. The second time was at UFC 230 last year where Rockhold had to pull out this time.
The third time could be a charm now that Weidman is officially following Rockhold in moving up to light heavyweight.
“Yeah, I think it’s a good move for Chris,” Rockhold told Submission Radio of Weidman moving up and potentially facing him. “He’s probably a bit drained [at 185]. He’s a big guy himself. He should translate well.”
Rockhold first has to get past Jan Blachowicz at UFC 239 on July 6, but given his and Weidman’s pedigree and resume, as well as the lack of major contenders at 205, it could only take one or two wins for them to get a title shot.
After all, Anthony Smith and Thiago Santos, who also moved up from middleweight, just needed a couple of wins to receive light heavyweight title shots. However, Rockhold believes him and Weidman are on a different level to those fighters as well as the current contenders in the division.
“I think a lot of light heavyweights lack technique and they get away with their size,” Rockhold added. “If you come up with technique and skill, you’ll do well in this weight class. Chris is a tough guy, I’m sure he’ll do his thing. We’ll see down the line [about a rematch], you never know.”
You can see the full interview below:
