Chris Weidman has had a rough month. The now-former UFC middleweight champion suffered a brutal knockout loss to Luke Rockhold at UFC 194 that cost him his undefeated streak, his title and a decent chunk of change.
If you think that's got him down, though, you'd be mistaken.
Speaking with MMAFighting.com's Ariel Helwani on Monday's installment of the MMA Hour, Weidman opened up about the fight for the first time.
"It was just a great experience for me. I could play back a million things in that fight I could've done differently, but I'm really happy I lost," he said, much to the surprise of Helwani (h/t MMAFighting.com's Shaun Al-Shatti for the transcription).
"I feel like if I would've won that fight, if I would've somehow figured a way to beat him up, I wouldn't have the opportunity that I have now to grow as a fighter and truly reach my potential."
It's a surprising revelation, of course. Weidman instantly became one of the bigger names in MMA when he knocked out Anderson Silva at UFC 162 to become UFC middleweight champion.
While he was largely dominant in his three title defenses (which came at the expense of former champions Silva, Lyoto Machida and Vitor Belfort), Rockhold managed to take his belt in impressive fashion.
After 14 minutes of competitive action, Weidman attempted to catch Rockhold with a spinning hook kick at the end of an exchange.
The technique was poorly executed, however, and left Weidman exposed for a takedown. That led to Rockhold advancing position and landing a terrifying barrage of strikes from mount position in the final minute of the third round.
While Weidman would be saved by the bell, he was still visibly hurt as he got off the stool. Rockhold stayed on offense and managed to secure the finish at 3:12 of Round 4.
Taking off now! Thanks for all the support. Had a fun time being #mmahour ! Sorry I rushed yah @arielhelwani #champ2016
— Chris Weidman (@ChrisWeidmanUFC) January 11, 2016
Despite viewing the loss as a learning experience, he still has his eyes locked firmly on a return to the top. "It was a good learning experience even for him, for him to learn for his life," he said later in the interview, referring to his son.
"Sometimes you do lose, but that's not what defines you. It's about what you do afterwards and how you get back up again. And I'm back up, better than ever, and I can't wait to show everybody who I truly am."
While it's not yet clear what the future holds for Weidman, he can't be too far off from another crack at Rockhold. We'll see if he manages to secure an immediate rematch in the coming months, or if he is forced back into the thick of the middleweight division.
