If former middleweight champion Chris Weidman has learned one thing from his epic rise in MMA, which featured 13 straight wins, a title, and his equally disastrous fall, it’s that success in the sport is dependent upon one’s mindset.

“People don’t realize the little things that go on. This sport is 99.9 percent mental at this point. It’s everything,” Weidman told WFAN Radio’s “Outside the Cage” podcast. “If a fighter is confident and truly believes they are going to win, they are going to win.”

His mindset, Weidman says, is exactly where it needs to be this time around entering Saturday’s return in the co-main event at UFC 210 in Buffalo, New York, against red-hot middleweight Gegard Mousasi.

Weidman (13-2) enters nothing short of a must-win bout should he look to retain recognition as an elite UFC fighter. He’s fresh off a pair of defeats over the past 16 months that were equally disastrous after losing his title to Luke Rockhold by fourth-round TKO last June and being knocked out sensationally by a knee from Yoel Romero last November.

At 32, Weidman talked during fight week to multiple outlets about a recent turning point which helped him regain his focus. While watching the movie “Rocky III” with his wife, he took notice at how Sylvester Stallone’s character began to struggle the more life became easier financially.

Weidman, a native of Baldwin, New York, looked around at his new house and happy family and wondered to himself whether he had become too comfortable like Rocky Balboa in the movie. The moment reignited his inner flame, and after briefly considering a move into his parent’s basement in order to focus on training camp, he settled for a stay in his own guest bedroom, where parental duties were eschewed so he could focus on mental and physical preparation.

It also allowed Weidman to put the two defeats against Rockhold and Romero behind him.

“I don’t need to clear up the past. These are guys that I let go,” he said. “The competitor in me, right away, you want to get emotional and get these guys back. But that’s not the right way to deal with things emotionally. I really, I let it go.”

The fight against Mousasi (41-6-2) is clearly nothing for Weidman to look past. Not only is the Dutch striker riding a four-fight win streak, but he has openly stated his financial motivation of fighting for a new contract.

Still, Weidman says his long-term goals haven’t changed.

“I’m going to be the 185-pound champ and win the middleweight championship again and then I’m going to win the 205-pound belt,” Weidman said. “The legacy will take care of itself but at some point those things will happen. My career is far from over. This is just the beginning. I had a nice way up to the top and there was a nice drop with two losses but now we need to go back up again. This is just part of the story.”

The idea of returning to an underdog role is one that Weidman openly embraces. He used the doubting of his critics who said his pair of victories over Anderson Silva were nothing more than a fluke to fuel his trio of title defenses. He says he has heard the rumors this time that he’s past his prime and welcomes that line of thinking.

“I’m going out there and I’m going to dominate Mousasi and get my hand raised,” Weidman said. “And again I’m going to be at the point where i was after the Anderson Silva fight where all those people that were doubting me.

“[I’ll say], ‘How do you like me now?’”