Luke Rockhold vs. Chris Weidman: Fight Date Announced, Comments and Reaction

On Wednesday afternoon, UFC President Dana White announced on Fox Sports' Garbage Time (via Damon Martin of FoxSports.com) that Luke Rockhold will defend his middleweight title against Chris Weidman at UFC 199 in June. 

It will be a rematch of the middleweight title bout that saw Rockhold take away Weidman's title in a fourth-round TKO.    

Here is a review of their previous bout in which Rockhold handed Weidman his first-ever loss:

Rumors have been swirling over the past few weeks that there would be a rematch after Rockhold hinted at one to Martin in January:

"

We've talked and from what I see there's a couple of fights on the table -- there's Yoel Romero and there's Chris Weidman. I think Chris Weidman, he's been the longtime reigning champion, I know he's begging for a shot. He's been harassing Dana (White) from what I understand since the day after the fight and I'm not opposed to giving him what he wants if he really likes it.

"

Weidman, who was a three-time defending middleweight champion before meeting Rockhold at UFC 194 in November, is getting his opportunity to snatch back the title. 

Here's how the two stack up:

Rockhold	Category	Weidman
15-2	Record	13-1
6'3"	Height	6'2"
185	Weight	185
77"	Reach	78"
45"	Leg Reach	42"

Weidman, whose strengths revolve around his ability to wrestle his opponents in the process of taking them down, will have to make sure he isn't too aggressive when he meets Rockhold. The current champion can use his kickboxing and jiu-jitsu to keep Weidman at bay. 

The farther Weidman stays away from him, the more it favors Rockhold. Having seen each other already inside the Octagon, though, they will certainly make tweaks in their approach to UFC 199. But with two of the best in the business going at it again for the title, June can't come soon enough for many UFC fans. 

Stats courtesy of UFC.com.