The time when Chris Weidman was regarded as the future of the middleweight division seems very far away right now.
As Weidman prepares to meet the surging Gegard Mousasi Saturday in UFC 210's co-main event, the magic of just a few years ago is long gone. These days, the MMA world is starting to ask some pretty disquieting questions about Weidman, as the former 185-pound champion finds himself suddenly reeling and on the heels of back-to-back losses.
This is a fight he desperately needs to win, not just to avoid slipping into the dreaded territory of three straight defeats, but to preserve any semblance of hope that the 32-year-old New York native might still be able to resurrect his glory days.