LAS VEGAS -- The hero gets in trouble early and is bloodied by his foe. Urged on by a frenzied crowd, he rallies, and delivers an epic beatdown to finish off the fight. The crowd chants "U-S-A" while the victor drapes himself in Old Glory.
Sounds like the script for a Hulk Hogan vs. Iron Sheik match from the 1980s, right? And yet, this was essentially how things played out when Chris Weidman defeated Vitor Belfort to retain his UFC middleweight title Saturday night.
Weidman’s matchup was UFC 187’s co-feature bout, behind Daniel Cormier’s light heavyweight title win over Anthony Johnson.