Weidman Makes Commentary Debut On Contender Series

Former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman will make his color commentary debut Tuesday night at Contender Series, marking his first assignment calling live fights from cageside.

Weidman, who has worked as a studio analyst since retiring from competition, joins Week 5 of the show's tenth season at Meta Apex in Las Vegas, according to MMA Junkie. The event streams live on Paramount+ at 7 p.m. ET, with undefeated heavyweight/" class="internal-link text-bone underline decoration-ash/30 hover:decoration-gold underline-offset-2">light heavyweight prospects Quentin Pasley and Arlind Berisha in the main event.

🎟️ Get tickets: Buy tickets to Dana White's Contender Series, Season 10, Week 5 on Ticketmaster →

Weidman Follows Chiesa's Path to Booth

The move appears to be part of UFC's strategy to test new broadcast voices in 2026. Michael Chiesa recently made his own color commentary debut for an official UFC event at UFC Shanghai after accumulating experience on Contender Series. Weidman now follows a similar trial run that could lead to UFC Fight Night assignments if he performs well behind the microphone.

Weidman, 42, knocked out Anderson Silva at UFC 162 in 2013 to end Silva's record 16-fight winning streak and captured the middleweight title. He defended the belt three times before losing to Luke Rockhold in 2015. UFC inducted him into the Hall of Fame's Modern Wing earlier this year.

🎟️ Get tickets: Buy tickets to Dana White's Contender Series, Season 10, Week 5 on Ticketmaster →

The challenge for Weidman will be adapting his championship-level insight to the pace of live commentary, explaining exchanges quickly while working alongside the play-by-play voice without talking over the action. Tuesday's broadcast will show whether his fighting experience translates to the booth.

Reported via:

• MMA Mania — Former UFC champion Chris Weidman set to make a color commentary debut