Las Vegas Review-Journal

Weidman ends all talk of losing streak after victory

EX-UFC champion gets much-needed win over Gastelum

- By Adam Hill Las Vegas Review-journal

Former middleweig­ht champion Chris Weidman didn’t want to talk about his three-fight losing streak any longer.

He just wanted to end it.

“This is an indescriba­ble moment,” Weidman said after a third-round submission of Kelvin Gastelum in the main event of UFC on Fox 25 on Saturday night in Uniondale, New York. “This feels like I won a championsh­ip. Coming off some losses, I felt like I had to bite my lip, bite my tongue. I didn’t want my words doing the talking. I wanted to come out here and prove myself, do what all my coaches believe I could do, and to come out here and do it.”

It was a long time coming for Weidman, whose last win was in

May 2015. He had won the first 13 fights of his career and appeared to be an unstoppabl­e force, before losing the title to Luke Rockhold and then dropping his next two fights.

Weidman still believes he is the best middleweig­ht in the world, but knows he will have to prove it in the cage since his growing pains took place on such a big stage.

“People forget I was 9-0 (and) I was fighting Anderson Silva,” Weidman said after winning just miles from his hometown on Long Island. “I was fighting the best guys this sport has ever seen with no experience. I hit adversity when I was on the top of the world. Most people hit adversity at the beginning when they are just getting started. I hit adversity when everyone was watching, when everyone had comments and everyone was doubting me. It was a tough situation to be in.

“The only people that believed in me I think is Long Island, my family and my coaches. That gave me the

confidence to know I’m the best in the world. Those other fights, they were learning experience­s, and it was part of God’s plan for me. Every single one of those fights was a fight I felt I lost on my own. I think I came out here and did a great job and proved it here tonight.”

Weidman hopes the win will put him back in title contention.

Trolling the troll

It’s unlikely NBA star Draymond Green had any idea what he was getting into when he tried to call out Conor Mcgregor in an Instagram post Sunday morning.

Green posted a picture of Mcgregor wearing a Golden State Warriors jersey with the No. 23 on the front and requested he not wear the jersey anymore because Green and the rest of his teammates were supporting Floyd Mayweather Jr. in the upcoming boxing superfight.

It wasn’t long before Mcgregor dropped into the comments to set him straight, pointing out he was actually wearing the jersey of former Warrior and Bishop Gorman alum C.J. Watson.

“I don’t know who the (expletive) you are. No disrespect tho kid, keep hustling and stay in school,” Mcgregor wrote to Green.

“Now ask yourself why I’m rocking C.J. when I don’t know or give a (expletive) about basketball. I dribble heads off the floor. Not a ball. This is no game here kid.”

 ?? Steve Luciano ?? The Associated Press Former UFC middleweig­ht champion Chris Weidman lands a left to the chin of Kelvin Gastelum during their bout at UFC onFox 25 on Saturday in Uniondale, N.Y. Weidman halted a three-match losing streak by winning with a third-round submission.
Steve Luciano The Associated Press Former UFC middleweig­ht champion Chris Weidman lands a left to the chin of Kelvin Gastelum during their bout at UFC onFox 25 on Saturday in Uniondale, N.Y. Weidman halted a three-match losing streak by winning with a third-round submission.

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