Originally set for UFC 309 only to fall through shortly before they were set to compete, Chris Weidman and Eryk Anders finally got to face off at UFC 310 on Saturday.
With their original middleweight affair scratched due to an Anders health issue, and with both already weighing in just a few weeks back, Saturday saw the pairing competing at a contracted 195lb catchweight. A smart move by the UFC, given there was no real need to face two veterans to cut weight again so soon.
Unfortunately for Weidman, the shifted date meant he wasn’t fighting at home in New York. He was fighting, at least, and early on, nearly got ahold of Anders on a slip. Anders recovered, however, and opted to turn the tables, pursuing a takedown against “The All-American” that was eventually fought off. Anders would then catch a kick, leading to an exchange. Moments after, a head kick appeared to have Weidman in trouble, though he managed to recover.
Anders, perhaps sensing Weidman was still compromised, went back to another takedown, though Weidman was soon back up. Sort of. Weidman got to a knee, only to have Anders fire a knee strike, connecting while his opponent was down. Weidman took a bit of time to recover, but the action soon got going again. And when it did, it was Weidman changing the momentum of the fight, dropping Anders with a left! Anders was down, bloodied, and Weidman got on top, sitting in half guard. He found space to add a few forearm strikes, elbows and punches, but Anders survived the round.
Given its success in the opening round, it was no surprise to see Anders go back to that head kick early in the second. That failed, but “Ya Boi” went in on a takedown again. This time, Weidman defended with a guillotine, but that was ultimately futile. Anders, meanwhile, landed some big shots as Weidman worked to a knee. Anders controlled from the back, and dragged Weidman down, getting a hook in then floating around to the top in a particularly slick maneuver. From there, Anders landed ground n’ pound from half-guard while Weidman tried to cover up, and move out of the way. Weidman was just barely surviving, and appeared to be out of gas. Anders appeared to need one final burst, and backed off, looking to land a big ground strike while Weidman threatened with upkicks. And just as time was set to run out, the ref finally made the call, giving Eryk Anders a win over the former middleweight champ.
Official Result: Eryk Anders def. Chris Weidman by TKO (ground n’ pound), Round 2, 4:51
