The second fight on the main card at UFC 261 featured a middleweight showdown. Former middleweight champion Chris Weidman (15-5) was looking to pick up his second victory over the talented Uriah Hall (16-9). These two men first fought on the regional circuit back in 2010.
That night, Weidman was able to get the TKO victory. That was just the third fight in the career of Weidman and we all know where his career went from there. He rose to the top of the world and starting with two wins over Anderson Silva, he was the UFC middleweight champion.
After Weidman defended his title successfully twice, he lost it to Luke Rockhold. The Rockhold loss started a downward spiral for Weidman. After losing several in a row, he jumped to light heavyweight for one fight. After getting knocked out there, he returned to the UFC‘s middleweight division last August.
While Weidman’s career has been heading more in a downward direction, the opposite can be said for Uriah Hall. With Hall, the issue has never been his talent. He has just as much talent as anyone in the UFC‘s middleweight division. “Primetime” just needs to be able to put everything together. He was riding a three-fight win streak coming into UFC 261.
UFC 261 Recap
Round 1
The UFC 261 middleweight contest kicked off with a touch of the gloves. Weidman looks to work his jab as the striking starts. One massive leg kick is thrown by Weidman and it’s checked. Weidman’s leg snaps and this one is over. Wow, hard to believe what we just witnessed.
Uriah Hall def. Chris Weidman by TKO (Leg Injury) – Round 1