Despite brutal KO loss, Chris Weidman relishes Garden experience
NEW YORK — Former middleweight champion Chris Weidman had been waiting his whole career for Saturday night.
It didn’t go anywhere near the way he expected.
Weidman was knocked out by Yoel Romero of the third round of a main card bout of UFC 205 at Madison Square Garden.
The finish came after a brutal flying knee by Romero that ripped Weidman’s face open and abruptly ended what Weidman hoped would be a storybook evening.
It still couldn’t completely ruin the moment.
“I’m still up here smiling and answering questions,” the Baldwin, New York resident said early Sunday morning at the post-fight news conference.
Weidman was an instrumental figure in the UFC’s efforts to get professional MMA events legalized in New York. It was nearly a decade-long process that cost the organization millions in lobbying efforts after it became a political football in the state.
He traveled each year to speak to legislators and even embarked on a bus tour across the state to help rally support.
A bill to legalize the sport finally passed this year and Weidman was the only native New Yorker on what was one of the most stacked cards in UFC history.
When it came time to finally make the walk to the cage on the historic night, Weidman took a brief pause to take in the atmosphere.
“It was a dream come true,” Weidman said. “It was everything I imagined…Until I lost.
“But that walkout was truly special to me, just an ultimate dream being realized. I’ve had so many ups and downs in the sport and so many times where I thought this was going to get legalized and I imagined fighting here in New York. For it to finally happen and have the crowd give me that kind of support after traveling around the world and fighting everywhere else besides my home state, it was a dream come true walking out.”
A win would have made it that much more special. Weidman was looking to bounce back from losing his belt to Luke Rockhold last December and had split the first two rounds with Romero.
Then came the flying knee that landed just as Weidman dropped down for a takedown, causing a nasty gash and spilling blood all over the mat.
“I probably broke the record,” Weidman joked when asked how many stitches he received for the cut.
Still, Weidman will remember the event for the rest of his career.
“It was a very tough night,” he said. “This was not the way I imagined this going, but I still find the beauty in the little things I got to experience. The walkout, the weigh-ins, every part of it I felt the love so that was nice.”
Romero likely earned the next title shot against Michael Bisping with the victory.
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-277-8028. Follow @adamhilllvrj on Twitter.