UFC champ Chris Weidman says Luke Rockhold title fight may not happen

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight champion Chris Weidman was led to believe he would be defending his 185-pound title against "good looking" No. 1 contender Luke Rockhold.

The 30-year-old challenger was expected to face the "All American," potentially at Madison Square Garden, but those plans were scrapped when the New York Assembly did not come to vote. Now, there is a chance he will not be taking on the champion altogether.

"I don't know when I'm fighting next," Weidman revealed to MMAmania.com. "There are rumors that he [Rockhold] might be fighting for a number one contendership against Jacare [Souza] next."

Long Island's own has been trading lighthearted barbs with Rockhold for the past month after UFC President Dana White confirmed the American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) product was next in line for a 185-pound title shot. If such rumors are true, then a rematch between two of the last Strikeforce middleweight champions could be on tap for the fall.

Souza is on an eight-fight win streak, starching former champions and contenders like Gegard Mousasi and Yushin Okami. The Brazilian bomber lost his Strikeforce strap to Rockhold in Sept. 2011 in a close contest that went all five rounds.

While the title picture in Weidman's kingdom gets sorted out, it also puts to bed a potential pairing between two renowned grapplers in Souza and Yoel Romero, who is coming off his own beatdown of former UFC light heavyweight titleholder Lyoto Machida at UFC Fight Night 70 (video).

"I think Yoel Romero is great," Weidman said. "It was a great finish for him. I just think it's crazy that Machida took that fight on such short notice after losing his last fight by knockout. It was 10 weeks after his fight, in a small cage, against a wrestler. There was a lot against him. I feel bad."

In the meantime, Weidman has been hard at work getting his Serra-Longo trained teammates, like Eddie Gordon and Gian Villante, ready for their respective bouts. The undefeated "All American" says he sparred six times last week.

"Wonderboy [Stephen Thompson] was in town," Weidman said. "He's got a fight coming up."

Injuries are a continuous hot-button issue in the UFC and Weidman himself has succumbed to devastating ones himself; quite like the injured rib that featherweight champion Jose Aldo is dealing with at the moment.

"Every injury is different," Weidman revealed. "I've had a broken rib and gotten into a fight before, it's not fun. It's scary. It depends on the situation."

Schools out for summer, which means the 31-year-old champ has a little extra time to spend with his children Cassidy and CJ while he trains, readying himself for the next man up.

"I'll be fighting before the end of the year," he said. "I would say against Rockhold or Jacare. I hope so."