Tim Kennedy Doesn’t Think There’s Any Way Chris Weidman Will Be Ready For UFC 175

No. 8-ranked UFC middleweight Tim Kennedy has been getting a lot of press lately for his non-stop trash talk heading into his April 16 TUF: Nations Finale main event with Michael “The Count” Bisping.

It actually seems like Kennedy has been out-talking the notoriously brash No. 5-ranked Bisping, who will fight his first bout since returning from surgery for a detached retina. Bisping believed he was worthy of a higher-ranked challenger than Kennedy, but agreed to face the former Army Ranger after much goading.

However, while Kennedy is again in the news today, he’s running his mouth about a completely different topic. Focusing on UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman, who was recently forced out of his previously scheduled UFC 173 man event with Lyoto Machida after having successful arthroscopic surgery on both of his knees, Kennedy told FOX Sports there won’t be any way Weidman will be able to return by his new date of July 5’s UFC 175:

“There’s no way he’s ready by July. There’s no way. Remember Chuck Liddell at the end of his career? He still had the heart and mind to be a champion, but his body couldn’t do it. Chris Weidman is young, still has everything to be a champion for a long time. But what your mind and heart tells you is sometimes different than what your body will allow you to do. You have to be a smart athlete.”

Kennedy may have a good point, because it’s hard to imagine coming back to face an elite challenger like Machida hardly three months removed from surgery on both knees, no matter how minor it may have been. Weidman did return from an almost yearlong layoff after shoulder surgery to defeat Anderson Silva at last July’s 162, but the champ may be beginning to gain a reputation for being injury-prone.

Regardless, Weidman posted a video earlier this week that showed him lightly jogging barely a day removed from his operations,so obviously you can’t count the young, undefeated titleholder out.

On the other hand, “The Sniper’s” comparison of Weidman to an almost retired Liddell doesn’t make much sense. Sure, both fighters needed to be smart, but for completely different reasons. If Weidman can’t return to full strength by the scheduled date, he’ll most likely withdraw from the bout rather than risk further injury.

It would be a huge blow for the Fourth of July weekend card, which is set to showcase a Daniel Cormier vs. Dan Henderson light heavyweight co-main event, but it’s definitely not worth fighting hurt in the long run.

What do you think about Kennedy’s view of the UFC 185-pound title scene? Do his words hold water, or is he simply spouting more talk to drum up some interest for his rapidly approaching bout from Quebec?

Photo: Joshua Lindsey for USA TODAY Sports