Chris Weidman wins Fighter of the Year award

Long Island's Chris Weidman, the reigning UFC middleweight champion, added one more piece of hardware to his new home in Dix Hills.

After beating Anderson Silva twice in less than six months in 2013 -- Silva had never lost in the UFC before that -- Weidman was named the Fighter of the Year at the sixth annual World MMA Awards in Las Vegas last Friday.

Weidman beat out Vitor Belfort, Urijah Faber, UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson and UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez for the award, which is hosted and presented by Fighters Only magazine.

Weidman looks for a second win over Belfort later this year when he defends his title against the Brazilian at UFC 173 in Las Vegas on May 24.