Chris Weidman is trading the analyst desk for the commentary booth.
The former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Middleweight champion will make his color commentary debut tomorrow night (Tues., Sept. 8, 2026) during Week 5 of Contender Series Season 10, according to MMA Junkie.
Weidman has remained a regular presence on UFC programming since stepping away from active competition, serving as a studio analyst and contributing to pre- and post-fight coverage. However, Tuesday will mark his first opportunity to call live fights from cageside.
“The All-American” certainly has the resume for the job.
Weidman famously knocked out Anderson Silva at UFC 162 in 2013, snapping Silva’s record-setting 16-fight UFC winning streak and ending one of the greatest championship reigns in promotional history (watch highlights). Weidman successfully defended the Middleweight title three times before eventually losing it to Luke Rockhold in 2015.
UFC is clearly using 2026 to audition some new voices for its broadcast team.
Former Ultimate Fighter (TUF) winner and longtime UFC Welterweight Michael Chiesa recently made his color commentary debut for an official UFC event at UFC Shanghai. Chiesa had already accumulated extensive broadcasting experience as a studio analyst and Contender Series commentator before receiving his first assignment calling a full UFC card.
Weidman now appears to be beginning a similar trial run on Contender Series. If “The All-American” performs well behind the microphone, Tuesday’s assignment could eventually lead to opportunities on UFC Fight Night broadcasts.
Of course, calling live fights is significantly different from offering analysis from a studio desk. Weidman must quickly explain exchanges, work alongside the play-by-play announcer and find the right moments to use his championship-level insight without talking over the action.
His fighting experience should give him plenty to work with.
Contender Series Week 5 takes place tomorrow inside Meta Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, and streams live on Paramount+ at 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. PT). Undefeated Light Heavyweight prospects Quentin Pasley and Arlind Berisha collide in the evening’s main event.
Time to see whether “The All-American” is as comfortable calling fights as he was competing in them.
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