Injury Forces Chris Weidman Out of UFC 199 Bout, Michael Bisping Willing to Step In

Chris Weidman is out of his planned championship middleweight rematch with Luke Rockhold at UFC 199, but Michael Bisping quickly let it be known that he is prepared to step in and take his place.

MMAWeekly.com sources on Tuesday confirmed an earlier report by FloCombat, which cited a Twitter rumor for the initial information.

Rockhold defeated Weidman to capture the middleweight belt at UFC 194 in December. Rockhold won via TKO stoppage in the fourth round. Despite the decisive finish, UFC officials opted to give Weidman an immediate rematch.

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Following the undisclosed injury, however, Weidman has had to withdraw from the bout, leaving UFC matchmakers scrambling with the Los Angeles pay-per-view event less than three weeks away.

Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza could be an option to step in and face Rockhold after coming off of a quick win over Vitor Belfort at UFC 198 on Saturday night. Jacare stopped Belfort in the first round and avoided the UFC 198 medical suspension list.

Another option could be Bisping, who is coming off of a victory over Anderson Silva in February. In fact, Bisping offered his services via Twitter, just minutes after the news broke.

“Training camps separate the boys from the men. This sport isn't for everyone. 2 weeks notice? I'm down!!!” wrote Bisping.

As of the time of publication, it wasn't clear which direction the UFC would move. UFC officials had no response to the situation when contacted for comment. It remains to be seen whether or not they will pursue a replacement for Weidman or shift the line-up, which already includes a bantamweight title fight between current champion Dominick Cruz and challenger Urijah Faber, in what is to be their trilogy bout.

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