Eryk Anders used one of Chris Weidman’s best weapons against him to get a stoppage victory at UFC 310 on Saturday.
After suffering a knockdown in the opening round, Anders came storming back in the second after he shucked off a guillotine choke attempt and then began battering Weidman with some vicious ground and pound. As the damage mounted, Weidman was stuck in survival mode as he just kept eating a barrage of punches.
Finally after a couple of shots saw Weidman’s head bounce off the canvas, the referee saw enough to stop the fight with the end coming at 4:51 in the second round.
Eryk Anders stops Chris Weidman in round 2 #UFC310 | LIVE NOW | ESPN+ https://t.co/XX1YuUOYuv pic.twitter.com/Sy03VsMAYR
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) December 8, 2024
“I told you, I’m constantly evolving, learning, still picking, traveling, learning things from other people,” Anders said about his strategy for the win. “I don’t really say no [to fighting anybody]. I’m looking to come out here and put on entertaining fights.”
When the fight started, Anders actually caught Weidman with a slick head kick while he was holding onto a leg but the tables turned when the former University of Alabama football player got caught with a counter left hook that put him down.
Weidman attempted to get the finish but Anders was able to hold on and never absorbed too much damage while he was stuck on his back.
The tables turned in the second round after Anders escaped the submission attempt and then just decided to stay on the ground as he began battering Weidman with punches. That relentless attack gave Weidman no chance to escape with the referee forced to rescue him from further harm just before the second round came to a close.
Anders said very honestly that he only has a couple of fights left in his career so he’s making the most of them and now he can add a former champion to his resume with his win at UFC 310. As for Weidman, he falls to 1-2 since returning from a devastating broken leg and it remains to be seen what the future hold for him.