Ex-champ Chris Weidman sees challenges, not threats, in advance of pivotal UFC 210 fight

BUFFALO – For a long time, Chris Weidman didn’t have to think about what a loss felt like.

Now he’s carrying two into his next bout, a pivotal meeting with Gegard Mousasi in the co-headliner of Saturday’s UFC 210 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, N.Y.

From an outside perspective, it’s a tough spot to be in. Mousasi (41-6-2 MMA, 8-3 UFC) is a dangerous competitor looking for his own title shot, and he’s fully capable of doling out a third setback, which never bodes well for an ex-champ looking to rebound.

But Weidman (13-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC) doesn’t look at the situation like the outside world.

“I don’t take it as, like, a threat,” he told MMAjunkie today at a media day in support of the pay-per-view event. “I see it as a challenge for me, and challenges are something that I’m used to coming up against my whole life.”

Weidman’s recent fortunes might obscure his past. But not too long ago, he was the guy who took on Anderson Silva at the height of his dominance and delivered a mighty upset. Weidman beat Demian Maia after losing 32 pounds in 10 days. Challenges are a familiar thing.

A title-losing submission to Luke Rockhold and vicious knockout against Yoel Romero are what Weidman has put behind him, and he’s keeping an optimistic mindset heading into Saturday.

“This is a huge challenge, and I’m very excited to go out there and win this fight,” he said.

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