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What's the story?
It's official! After months of rumors, the UFC have finally confirmed that former UFC Middleweight Champions Luke Rockhold and Chris Weidman will clash again in a rematch of their classic bout at UFC 194 in December 2015.
In case you didn't know...
That fight at UFC 194 was contested for the Middleweight belt and saw Rockhold defeat Weidman to win the Championship.
Both men have had mixed fortunes since that bout with Rockhold losing two of his next three fights, which saw him lose the Middleweight Championship to Britain's Michael Bisping and most recently losing to 41-year-old veteran, Yoel Romero in disappointing fashion.
For his part, after losing the Championship to Rockhold, Weidman began a three-fight losing streak which also saw him lose to Romero before tasting defeat against Gegard Mousasi. Weidman bounced back in impressive fashion in his most recent fight, defeating Kevin Gastelum by submission.
The heart of the matter
During the UFC 228 broadcast, commentator, Joe Rogan announced that the pair had been added to UFC 230's card in November, hailing from New York's Madison Square Garden.
An intriguing contest awaits in round two of this fascinating rivalry. This could truly be an all or nothing bout for both men following their less than stellar win/loss records in recent times.
Weidman has been dealing with a recurrent thumb injury which has kept him out of the Octagon since July 2017. After two surgeries, he is finally ready to go again.
Rockhold, for his part, had contemplated a change of division after his loss to Romero but has obviously changed his mind. He is also recovering from injury, which adds to the intrigue.
What's next?
Despite their indifferent records of late, this is an attraction that undoubtedly has Middleweight title implications. For the winner, a potential title shot awaits. For the loser, their future UFC career could well be in the balance.
The atmosphere for Rockhold/Weidman 2 will be something to behold.
