Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight titleholder, Chris Weidman, recently said if he doesn't get a stoppage victory over Vitor Belfort when they collide at UFC 181 on Dec. 6, 2014 in Las Vegas, Nevada, that he'd be "real disappointed."
Weidman, a jiu-jitsu black belt, has proven he's got the chops to either submit or knockout his opponent (proof).
And while most would agree it would behoove "All American" to stray from engaging in a stand-up battle against one of the most lethal strikers the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA) has ever seen, Chris is more than confident in his "versatile" offensive arsenal.
Which is why he isn't shy in telling Sherdog that he can put "The Phenom" out cold.
"I think that I'm a versatile individual, and I pretty much feel like I can do anything that I want to do in there. I can stand and bang and knock him out, or I feel as if I can take him down and submit him. Nothing's going to come easily, and I always expect some resistance, but if someone had yelled out and told me that this is what I had to do, I am getting the job done, whether they told me to submit him or knock him out. I'm going to get it done."
Still, that doesn't mean it will be a cake walk for Chris by any means.
Yes, Vitor is 38 years old and won't have the added help of being on testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) -- which many believe has aided to his recent success -- but Weidman knows all too well what kind of danger the Brazilian brings.
His words:
"I have respect for him, and I have respect for the cage. Anybody who is going to step into the cage, I have respect for. The second that I don't have respect for someone in there is the second that it would take for me to lose that belt. That being said, my reign as champion is going to be a long one, and no one is going to take this belt from me for a long, long time."
A win for Weidman would do wonders for his mint (12-0, 8-0 UFC) MMA resume, as his first three title defenses would have come against Anderson Silva, Lyoto Machida, and Belfort.
On the flip side, a win for Belfort would not only give him his second title in as many divisions, but also bust the theory that he needs TRT in order to be victorious inside the Octagon. Fortunately for Vitor, Weidman is more than willing to let the action unfold on the feet.
"The Phenom's" specialty.