Throughout the years, many fighters have come forth to call out MMA‘s reigning kingpin Anderson Silva, but Chris Weidman did more than just issue a challenge.
He offered up an early prediction of how a bout between him and Silva would inevitably go down.
“I think with a full camp I’d finish [Anderson Silva],” Weidman said in an interview with The Garv. Obviously I’m not fighting Anderson Silva next, but if I was, that would be my prediction. I’m confident with myself. You have to be as a fighter, and obviously, I have a lot of respect for Anderson Silva. I think he’s awesome.”
Weidman extended his unbeaten record to 8-0 at UFC on Fox 1, where he earned a unanimous-decision victory over former UFC title contender Demian Maia.
Despite taking the fight on 10 days notice, Weidman managed to prove himself as a legitimate threat at 185 pounds by taking out one of the division’s biggest names.
“It was probably one of the toughest things I ever did. I’ll never definitely do it again, but I’m happy I did it,” said Weidman. “I had great people around me to support me and people who believed in me, you know, 32 pounds in 10 days, which somehow I did it, and I’m happy I did it. It paid off.”
“I kept pressing forward. I kept making him think and making him a little nervous, put him in situations where he had to think, which is going to get you a little tired.”
With the win, Weidman now finds himself deep in the middleweight herd of potential contenders.
Silva likely hasn’t even processed the possibility of fighting Weidman in the future. He is rumored to be facing Chael Sonnen in Sao Paulo, Brazil in the summer.
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