Middleweight champion Chris Weidman (12-0) hasn’t fought since July 2014. Injuries have kept the titleholder on the shelf, but he returns at UFC 187 on May 23 against top 185-pound contender Vitor Belfort (24-10).
The 30-year-old New Yorker was scheduled to face Belfort at UFC 181 in December, but was forced out of the bout due to a broken hand suffered in training. The fight was rescheduled to headline UFC 184 in February, but a rib injury caused the champion to withdraw from that fight card as well.
Despite the time away from the cage, Weidman doesn’t believe he’ll experience ring rust on Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas when he puts his title on the line for the fourth time.