Chris Weidman wants Luke Rockhold rematch for GFL debut: 'They're really putting their money where their mouth is'
Chris Weidman wasted no time jumping ship after announcing his UFC departure.
As the new kid on the MMA block, the Global Fight League (GFL) is attempting to sweep up as many notables name as possible, including fighters fresh off the UFC roster like Weidman and Tony Ferguson. Weidman's career has been nearing its end since his catastrophic leg break in 2021 against Uriah Hall; however, he's fought three times since then, and instead of retiring after his latest loss — a second-round knockout to Eryk Anders — he departed the UFC and now joins GFL on the promotion's New York team.
Speaking to Uncrowned's "The Ariel Helwani Show," Weidman shared how his involvement in the upstart league came together.
'I think it was right around the time where my manager was telling me that it's probably not a thing," Weidman said. "He was calling [GFL] and they were talking, but I didn't think it was going anywhere, to be honest. I was cool with it either way. It was really after that that things started moving fast, which is weird.
"Everybody thought I was retiring. I did leave it open that I'm open to other opportunities. I'm closing the chapter with the UFC, I'm retiring from the UFC, but I understand a lot of people thought I was just retiring from MMA — which, I didn't know if I was. I thought I probably was retiring from MMA, but now I'm excited. I didn't realize I'd have all these different matchups [available to me in the GFL] — like a guy like Luke Rockhold, that's a matchup that not only I always wanted back, but the fans really always wanted to see for a long time. We were supposed to rematch twice and it didn't happen, so that's a cool opportunity. You got [Gegard] Mousasi, you got Uriah Hall, Yoel Romero. There's some fun fights that are really going to make me get into the gym and want to really train hard for.'
GFL's official introduction came this past Friday when the promotion aired its "draft" live, unveiling all 120 fighters on the inaugural six teams. According to GFL founder Darren Owen, the promotion plans to launch its first event in April and may hold three shows in two days on certain weekends.
Even though he's on the New York team, former UFC middleweight champ Weidman is still relatively in the dark about details, but he remains optimistic for another strong UFC alternative.
'I'm hoping this thing plays out," Weidman said. "I hope they're successful. It's a very tough business. I would think that you don't want to really compete with the UFC. That shouldn't be the goal. I don't think that's something that really can be done at this point, but I think there's a lot of room to make a lot of money to put on great fights, so I don't really know.
'The business side of it sounds amazing for the fighters, they're doing the right thing for the fighters. I just don't know if [it's going to work in the long run]. I'm hoping it's sustainable. I hope that they're just really good business guys and they've looked at the numbers, and they see how they could be profitable with this, and it's something that continues. Not just for me, but for the future, for MMA fighters. I think it's always good to have other promotions that fighters have the opportunity to fight in, and you can make good money, and they're doing a lot of cool things, man.
"They're trying to set up retirement for the fighters, medical for the fighters and their families, 50/50 profit sharing. I mean, they're really putting their money where their mouth is and trying to do the best for the fighters they possibly can. We'll see if it's something that is sustainable and something that really could make it far.'
Weidman, 40, watched his stock drop precipitously in his final five UFC outings; by the end, he was battling with unranked fighters and had fallen to prelims. In the GFL, though, he's reenergized by the idea of redemption against old foes — Rockhold, in particular.
In 2015, Weidman's undefeated 13-0 run met a brutal end at UFC 194 courtesy of Rockhold, who snatched Weidman's middleweight title with an infamous fourth-round knockout. The stars never aligned for Weidman to get his rematch, but now he wants to finish that story in GFL.
'I would love Luke Rockhold, [that] would be my first fight," Weidman said. "We have the most history. I know I lost to those other guys, but the Rockhold one was my first loss. I lost my belt against him, we had animosity and all that stuff. There's build-up, and we were supposed to rematch twice. I think it's a fun fight for the fans, that people would be super interested in watching. I mean, when fans come up to me, it's one thing that comes up pretty regularly — they want me to get the rematch with Rockhold. They want me to get that one back, and I'm with them.'
It also doesn't hurt that GFL appears to be opening its wallet for all these well-known names. While he declined to provide specifics, Weidman isn't complaining about the numbers coming his way.
'Oh yeah, yes, yeah, very much so. Very good,' Weidman answered when asked if he was being financially taken care of.
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Hairston walked to the McDermott-led huddle with a slight limp. Once the huddle broke, the defensive backs sectioned off and did their usual post-practice drill work. Hairston went over to the drill with his teammates and had his helmet on, but did not participate. Once that let out, Hairston made a long, slow walk with head athletic trainer Nate Breske from the furthest outdoor field through the fieldhouse and into the training room area. Considering Thursday is the last day of minicamp before an extended break, and that Hairston remains unsigned on his rookie deal, the likeliest outcome is that the rookie won't be a full participant for the final minicamp practice. Advertisement Despite the injury, it's notable how much of a vested interest the Bills, and most notably, cornerbacks coach Jahmile Addae have taken in Hairston. Addae and Hairston are in constant communication, whether immediately after a rep or on the sideline while others are on the field. 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