UFC 230: Chris Weidman gets middleweight title shot with win over Jacare Souza in NYC

After Luke Rockhold was forced out of his rematch against former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Middleweight champion Chris Weidman, “All American” agreed to face Ronaldo Souza at the upcoming UFC 230 pay-per-view (PPV) event on Nov. 3, 2018.

For being a team player, Weidman will be given a shot at reclaiming his 185-pound strap should he prove victorious over “Jacare.” That’s according to Weidman himself, who appeared on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show to reveal the news.

“I win this fight, I’m fighting for the title,” Weidman (14-3) said via ESPN. “I was obviously close to fighting for the title before this fight, beating [Kelvin] Gastelum and finishing him. It was between me and him, who was going to be fighting [champion Robert] Whittaker. They decided to go with Gastelum.”

No word if Souza — who also had to agree on the change-up — was given the same offer.

Furthermore, Weidman’s management team informed him that should he pull of a victory, he will be flown to Australia to be on standby in case either champion Robert Whittaker or Kelvin Gastelum are forced out of their title fight in early 2019.

It’s good to be a team player.

Currently ranked No. 3 in the land, Chris hasn’t competed since defeating the aforementioned Gastelum over a year ago, as he was forced to the sidelines due to a nagging thumb injury that required multiple surgeries.

The win stopped the bleeding of a three-fight losing streak, and put Chris on a short list of title contenders. His time off, though, gave Kelvin the opportunity to get back on the horse and score back-to-back wins over Michael Bisping and Souza, giving him the edge in the title hunt.

But if all goes well for “All American” in his home state, he will have the chance to prove he’s still a force to be reckoned with at 185-pounds and get the gold wrapped around his waste one more time.

Getting through “Jacare,” though, won’t be a walk in the central park.