Chris Weidman took home the middleweight title after UFC 162 concluded, but he had help from his opponent Anderson Silva. Weidman knocked out his formerly undefeated opponent without having to do much on the night.
Weidman earned the fight’s first takedown in the first round, which earned him taunts from Silva. Near the end of the first round, The Spider decided to dare Weidman to punch him. He then kissed the No. 1 contender at the conclusion of the round.
All of this taunting and showboating earned Silva two straight fists to the face, with the second Weidman punch landing square on his jaw. Silva went down immediately, and the fight ended just 1:18 into the second round.
Silva is arguably the greatest fighter in the history of mixed martial arts, but he proved to be the sport’s most childish at UFC 162. Despite defending his title a record 10 times in a row successfully and with previous record of 16-0, Silva looked like an amateur against Weidman.
If one didn’t know better, it almost seemed like The Spider couldn’t have cared less if he won the bout or not. He was too busy trying to put on a show and didn’t take his opponent seriously.
Weidman powered through Silva’s taunts and just fought a sound match that was over more quickly than most would’ve expected. The new middleweight champion stayed focused and respected what his opponent could do. In other words, Weidman chose to do the exact opposite of Silva.
After his first UFC loss and fifth as a pro, Silva was asked by UFC’s Joe Rogan about his decision to taunt his opponent. The Spider dodged the question, thanking America and the UFC for changing his life.
The only words Silva said regarding Weidman was that he was the best that night and that the new champ “has my respect because he is the best.”
He also said he “worked hard for this fight,” which fans might find hard to believe considering his actions during the bout.
Later in the interview, Silva announced he does not wish for a rematch with Weidman and will no longer battle for title belts in his career.
The best way to describe UFC 162’s main event would be historic yet puzzling. Why the former champion decided to pretend like he was in a backyard fight and not the Octagon is anyone’s guess.
You can’t take your opponent likely and think you can win just by showing up. Silva learned that the hard way at UFC’s latest pay-per-view.
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