Weidman: ‘Putting up an interim belt “kind of stupid”‘

“You know, I thought it was kind of stupid. I’m just like, hang on, Anthony Pettis was out for a year. Johny Hendricks was out for like nine months. Cain Velasquez, they just did an interim title, he was out for how long? A year and a half? So I’ve been out for six months, I just get an injury now that’s going to [hold] me out six-to-eight weeks, then I’m ready to go. So for them to do an interim belt is kind of crazy. It doesn’t match up to [how much time] other guys (have missed) when they’ve done interim belts. I don’t have an ACL tear. I’m not going to be out for a year, indefinitely, no matter what. Hopefully this thing heals even faster than six-to-eight weeks.

“It’s really just a way to promote the fight. It’s a way to get people excited. It’s a belt, and then you can do champion versus champion. So I understand the business side of doing it. It just sucks that it’s me and they’re doing it with me. But I understand they want to save this UFC 184 (card).”

During a recent chat with “The MMA Hour” UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman talked about the UFC’s decision to give Vitor Belfort an interim title fight.

In the end, Belfort turned the opportunity down.