Chris Weidman vs Jack Hermansson targeted for UFC OKC in May
After a brief stint in the light heavyweight division, former champion Chris Weidman is heading back to the middleweight division. As first reported by ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, the UFC is looking to book Weidman’s return to the middleweight division against Jack Hermansson to headline UFC Fight Night on May 2, which is scheduled to take place in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Breaking: Chris Weidman is headed back to 185 pounds. The former champ has agreed to face Jack Hermansson on May 2 in the main event of UFC Fight Night in OKC. Bout agreements not signed yet, per sources, but UFC working on finalizing the matchup. pic.twitter.com/DaPWRZoYOh
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) February 20, 2020
While the fight is not official as there are no fight bouts signed, this is the UFC’s reported plan for their trip to Oklahoma City. There have been no other fights reported for this event.
The former champion Weidman has not had fortune in his last two fights as he’s currently riding a two-fight losing streak with losses to Dominick Reyes and Jacare Souza. The fight against Reyes was Weidman’s debut in the light heavyweight division, but now the news of him dropping back down to middleweight is where he could stay moving forward.
Jack Hermansson was on the doorstep of title contention in the middleweight division until his winning streak was stopped in his last fight. Most recently, Hermansson suffered a second-round knockout loss to Jared Cannonier back in September of 2019.
Before losing to Cannonier, Hermansson was on a four-fight winning streak with wins over opponents Jacare Souza, David Branch, Gerald Meerschaert, and Thales Leites. Hermansson has a 7-3 record in his 10 fights since joining the UFC back in 2016.
With plenty of fighters looking to make their claim to be at the top of the UFC’s middleweight division, this main event machup between Weidman and Hermansson may not be a title eliminator, but could be a telling sign as to who belongs at the top of the division. There is also opportunity for both fighters to jump right to the top of the division depending on the result of their potential fight, as Cannonier, who many believe is a top contender for a title shot, will be sidelined for some time after undergoing surgery for a torn pectoral muscle.
