Chris Weidman held the middleweight title for more than two years before being surprisingly knocked out by Luke Rockhold last December. In his first fight back, the Long island native faced a tough matchup with Yoel Romero, the dynamic former Cuban Olympic wrestler.
Romero, known as the “Soldier of God,” was decidedly unpopular with the Madison Square Garden crowd compared to the local Weidman, known as the “All American.”
An elite wrestler in high school and at Hofstra, Weidman went for takedowns in the first round, but they were eluded by the speedy Romero, who had executed a cartwheel and backflip upon arrival in the ring.