Matt Serra and Ray Longo break down Weidman vs. Belfort at UFC 187

Bloody Elbow 2.0 | Anton Tabuena

While much of the media attention dedicated to UFC 187 has focused on the vacated light-heavyweight title and the eventual crowning of a new champion, the evening’s co-main event will also showcase another title fight between middleweight champion Chris Weidman and Vitor Belfort.

Ahead of the Saturday clash, MMAFighitng.com’s Ariel Helwani spoke to Weidman’s coaches Matt Serra and Ray Longo about the contest and whether they believe Belfort presents a tough challenge for the champ.

Longo:

“Weidman is the aggressor. If there is an alpha male in those two, it’s Chris Weidman. He is going to do what he always does, which is go forward, put the pressure on and make it his fight.

“Weidman looks like he has a pretty noticeable size advantage. Belfort is looking a little old.”

Serra:

“I think he is going to take him out in under three (rounds). I think he is going to break him.

“Belfort looks older than (Ray) Longo. He looks like we could have been alumni together or gone to high school together.”

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About the author

Karim Zidan

Karim Zidan is a investigative reporter and feature writer focusing on the intersection of sports and politics. He has written for BloodyElbow since 2014 and has served as an associate editor since 2016. He also writes for The New York Times and The Guardian. Karim has been invited to speak about his work at numerous universities, including Princeton, and was a panelist at the South by Southwest (SXSW) film festival and the Oslo Freedom Forum. He also participated in the United Nations counter-terrorism conference in 2021. His reporting on Ramzan Kadyrov’s involvement in MMA, much of which was done for Bloody Elbow, has led to numerous award nominations, and was the basis of an award-winning HBO Real Sports documentary.