Author: Justin Onslow

Silva vs. Weidman Results: Breaking Down The Spider’s Stunning Loss

Pound-for-pound champion Anderson “The Spider” Silva was the only person in the arena who didn’t think Chris “The All-American” Weidman could beat him on Saturday night. Silva displayed the hubris and glaring overconfidenc…

Pound-for-pound champion Anderson “The Spider” Silva was the only person in the arena who didn’t think Chris “The All-American” Weidman could beat him on Saturday night.

Silva displayed the hubris and glaring overconfidence he has shown many times in his previously undefeated UFC career, but this time, his opponent would give him a reason to rethink just how untouchable he really is.

Hands at his sides in a display of classless arrogance for the second straight round, Silva avoided the first two punches of Weidman’s volley before taking the third and fourth directly to the face, falling to the canvas as referee Herb Dean called the fight in the early seconds of the second round, via USA Today:

Silva cites his “game plan” as one of the reasons he lost, per Arda Ocal of the Baltimore Sun, but it’s asinine to believe his strategy was to give Weidman free shots at his chops.

Breaking down Silva’s loss isn’t all that complicated. The previously undefeated middleweight showed a total lack of aggression, poise and focus, and the result was an embarrassing finish that left UFC fans everywhere wanting an explanation—and perhaps a rematch.

UFC president Dana White is certainly on board. As quoted by Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times, White believes Silva wants a chance to make it right:

I guarantee you there’s nothing more he wants than that rematch with Chris Weidman. He was messing with Weidman’s head, and if he did it and knocked him out, he’d be a genius. He decided the way he wanted to fight … he got clipped. Tonight, it caught up to him.

White typically doesn’t find disrespectful displays of arrogance so copacetic, but he’s also not one to belittle arguably the most popular fighter of the sport and the face of his franchise.

Whatever the case, there’s no two ways about it: Silva messed up, and he now faces an uphill battle to restore his image and avenge his loss.

But what has gotten lost in the talk of Silva’s blunder is the ability of Weidman to take advantage of his opportunities. Give credit where credit is due.

The All-American is at his best on the mat, using his superior submission and ground-and-pound skills to keep the momentum of the fight in his favor. Given Silva’s impressive striking ability, Weidman probably wasn’t prepared to get into a boxing match with the pound-for-pound champ.

As quoted by Pugmire, the 29-year-old finally gave into Silva’s head games, exploiting tremendous opportunity to end the fight early:

I was saying, ‘Don’t get mad, don’t get fooled, get him to the ground. He tries to mentally defeat you… I said, ‘Forget this, I’m hitting him.’ I felt my stand-up was good and I felt like, ‘I’m going for this. He’s a genius in getting into people’s minds. I just kept believing in myself.

And credit to Weidman for acknowledging Silva’s tactics are more than just classless arrogance. There’s something to be said for the Spider’s psychological games, but he took it too far on Saturday.

Ultimately, Silva is the biggest loser following the fight, but UFC fans aren’t far behind. Seeing Silva finally lose a match was good for a sport than needs the parity—just not in the way he lost.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Silva vs. Weidman: Keys to Victory in UFC 162 Middleweight Showdown

The David and Goliath narrative in the sports world rarely plays out in the exciting fashion many would like. Sometimes Goliath is just too big and David is a little short on ammo. In the case of Anderson Silva and his spotless 16-0 record inside the O…

The David and Goliath narrative in the sports world rarely plays out in the exciting fashion many would like. Sometimes Goliath is just too big and David is a little short on ammo.

In the case of Anderson Silva and his spotless 16-0 record inside the Octagon, there hasn’t been a challenger in the UFC quite capable or prepared enough to sling a stone heavy enough to take him down.

Chris Weidman isn’t exactly dwarfed by Silva’s greatness, however.

The 29-year-old submission specialist is 5-0 in the UFC and boasts several attributes that could give Silva some issues on Saturday night at UFC 162. While Silva will likely be a heavy favorite in every fight until the day he retires, he’s never guaranteed a victory.

Let’s take a look at the tale of the tape for this fight and break down keys to victory for each fighter, highlighting what Weidman has to do in order to hand Silva his first loss in the UFC.

 

Anderson “The Spider” Silva   Fighter    Chris “The All-American” Weidman
38 Age (at fight)      29
185 lbs Weight    185 lbs
6’2″ Height    6’2″
77.5″ Reach    78″
Southpaw/Switch Fighting Stance    Orthodox
33-4 Pro Record    9-0
16-0 UFC Record    5-0
88% UFC Win Finish Rate    60%
142 UFC Minutes    44%
1997 Fighting Pro Since    2009
266 Days Layoff    360 Days

 

Anderson Silva

Silva isn’t one to get caught in his own web. If he hopes to keep his spotless UFC record intact, he’ll have to avoid Weidman’s attempts at spinning one of his own.

Weidman is a tremendous submission specialist who is adept in the ground-and-pound game, feasting on opponents who give him even a small window in which he can capitalize. The 29-year-old has the ability to win by knockout, but don’t count on seeing that result against Silva.

For the Spider to win, he won’t have to change much. Silva boasts a 16-0 UFC record for a reason, and as long as he sticks to his game plan and doesn’t make costly mistakes, there’s little reason to believe he’ll come up short at UFC 162.

Silva can win this fight in a multitude of ways. He’s an accurate striker. He’s tremendous on the canvas. And like Weidman, he understands how to capitalize on the smallest of mistakes.

While both fighters will be cautious about making those mistakes, neither will be timid in his approach. For Silva, the key to victory in this fight will be limiting costly mistakes while sticking to his guns—or in this case, staying close to his web while Weidman lets himself get stuck.

 

Chris Weidman

Many expect Weidman to be the greatest challenge Silva has faced in defense of his belt. The All-American is the unquestioned No. 2 middleweight with a lot to prove.

At 29, Weidman has age and athleticism on his side, as well as a half-inch reach advantage. He also doesn’t have any glaring weaknesses in the Octagon.

But besting the pound-for-pound kingpin will require a tremendous effort predicated on perfection, and Wediman can’t afford to leave his comfort zone unless he does so to exploit a big opportunity. In other words, Weidman must stick to his guns to win this fight.

Silva is a much more accurate striker who also hasn’t been taken down in any of his last three fights. Weidman, on the other hand, boasts 2.6 takedowns per fight and has used those opportunities to capitalize with tremendous ground-and-pound and submission skill sets.

The All-American may need to take Silva down to finish him off, but he can’t expect that to be an easy task. At the risk of being redundant, Weidman has to be cautious and opportunistic. He can’t afford to get careless against the best fighter on the planet.

Weidman can win this fight if he plays to his strengths and avoids getting caught in the Spider’s traps. Anything short of perfection will likely result in another tally in Silva’s win column.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 161: Fighters Whose Stock Took the Biggest Hit on Saturday Night

UFC 161 had all the potential for an exciting event. The card boasted some big names, fan favorites and intriguing up-and-comers, but for all the hype, its bite didn’t match its bark. Part of that can be attributed to a three-round main card tuss…

UFC 161 had all the potential for an exciting event. The card boasted some big names, fan favorites and intriguing up-and-comers, but for all the hype, its bite didn’t match its bark.

Part of that can be attributed to a three-round main card tussle that would have been a lot more exciting as a five-round affair. Part of it was just the result of underwhelming performances from a few fighters who had plenty to prove but came up empty.

Whatever the case, UFC 161 lacked a certain “it” factor. There was plenty of heavy hitting from some of the sport’s best big men, sure. But for all the event could have been, it just didn’t meet expectations.

As a result, we’re left to reflect on a few fights that could have been so much more—and a few fighters whose UFC stock took a big hit. Let’s take a look at those fighters and break down why each failed to impress at UFC 161.

 

Pat Barry

Simply put, Pat Barry is good for the UFC.

One of MMA’s most fan-friendly fighters, Barry typically puts on a show whether he’s a winner or a victim of a brutal knockout. Unfortunately for Barry, the result of his UFC 161 fight with Shawn Jordan fell under the latter category, and he now faces some big questions.

Jordan hit Barry with two big uppercuts in the first round and finished him on the mat in short order, ending the fight in just 59 seconds.

It was the type of boom-or-bust performance we’ve come to expect from Barry, but how many more busts can he produce before he fades from the UFC spotlight?

The 33-year-old has now dropped four of his last six fights and doesn’t have much momentum to speak of. Against the Strikeforce transplant and budding UFC star, Barry just didn’t have it.

With the first-round loss, Barry served to highlight a couple factors that could significantly hurt his stock at the heavyweight division: He’s simply not a good fit banging it out with the division’s best bruisers, and he may not have the chin to take those kinds of bouts anymore, especially against bigger, younger fighters.

If Barry hopes to do more with the spotlight than end up getting pounded on the mat in the first round, he may have to move to light heavyweight or risk seeing his stock plummet even further.

 

John Maguire

With a two-fight losing streak under his belt, John Maguire needed to churn out a good performance against Mitch Clarke to renew any chance of keeping pace in the UFC. Instead, he dropped a decision that will likely put his UFC future in question.

In what was probably a must-win for either fighter (each looking to avoid a third straight loss), Clarke came away a big winner. He’ll live to fight another day, but the same isn’t a guarantee for Maguire.

The 30-year-old Englishman made it close with judges’ scores of 29-28 across the board, but it probably won’t be enough to salvage a career that started off with a lot of promise. When all is said and done, he may find himself back in England attempting to work his way back to the top after a third consecutive loss in the UFC.

 

Roy Nelson

Roy Nelson entered the Octagon to face Stipe Miocic in what should have been a good fight. In fact, it should have been a tremendous fight.

Instead, “Big Country” looked out of shape, out of breath and essentially outmatched throughout the three-round affair.

Miocic won via unanimous decision in what was a big opportunity for Nelson to earn some favor with UFC president Dana White. He was already facing a new contract from the UFC, but White may have to question how motivated Nelson is to earn it at this point.

In all honesty, Big Country probably didn’t need a win to secure a new deal with the UFC (if he actually wants one). But with an embarrassing loss on Saturday night, he may have burned that bridge.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 157: Top Reasons to Watch Premier Showcase

If your idea of a good time is a nice quiet evening at home, UFC 157 probably isn’t your thing. If you are looking for action, then you’ve come to the right place. On Saturday some of the best fighters in mixed martial arts will converge on…

If your idea of a good time is a nice quiet evening at home, UFC 157 probably isn’t your thing. If you are looking for action, then you’ve come to the right place.

On Saturday some of the best fighters in mixed martial arts will converge on one card with a singular goal: to dominate the competition.

UFC 157 will feature seven preliminary matches and four main-card fights, before giving way to the two matchups everyone is talking about. Lyoto Machida and Dan Henderson will square off for a chance at a potential title shot, followed by the first ever women’s fight in UFC history.

If that is not reason enough to watch, there is always the insane amount of hard-hitting strikes and crushing takedowns to look forward to.

Let’s take a look at the top three reasons to watch UFC 157 on Saturday.

 

Ronda Rousey

Ronda Rousey and Liz Carmouche are set to make history when they enter the octagon on February 23. No women have ever fought in a UFC event, and oh yeah, it is also a title fight.

With the bantamweight title on the line, both fighters will be primed to put on a show—just don’t expect it to last very long.

With a 6-0 record and a nearly unstoppable armbar, Rousey is in position to end Carmouche’s hopes for the title without much resistance. There is a good chance this one ends in the first couple minutes.

Still, there is plenty of reason to watch the fight (apart from the historical significance, of course). Rousey looks almost unstoppable right now, and she is sure to put on as dominant a performance as we are likely to see on Saturday.

 

Machida vs. Henderson

If Rousey weren’t taking part in UFC 157, Machida and Henderson would no doubt be the biggest story of the event.

With Jon Jones and Chael Sonnen set to square off in UFC 159, there is a pretty good chance the winner of Machida-Henderson will challenge for the light-heavyweight title in the near future.

Henderson (29-8-0) is one of the most dangerous strikers in the sport. Without knockout power in both fists, he’ll look to silence Machida with a barrage of strikes throughout the fight.

Machida has the upper hand in this one, though. He is one of the quickest fighters on the planet, and Henderson will have a hard time landing many of his powerful strikes.

Don’t expect Machida to end it quickly, though.

As much as Henderson loves to throw his fists, it seems logical that he would get caught from time to time. The 6’1” striker has never been knocked out, though, and it might be worth watching just to see if Machida can change that.

Regardless of the outcome, this fight should prove to be one of the most exciting of the card.

 

Undercard Highlight

Brendan Schaub and Lavar Johnson didn’t fight their way to the main card, but their matchup could be even more exciting than some of the more publicized fights.

Both fighters rely heavily on their striking prowess to end matches before a decision. In 23 fights, Johnson has recorded 15 knockouts, and Schaub has seven knockouts to his name in 12 fights.

This will no doubt be a heavyweight slugfest, and there is a good chance it ends with one man standing and another out cold on the canvas.

Even the casual MMA fan can enjoy a fight like Schaub and Johnson are sure to put on—even if it isn’t the match everyone is talking about.

 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com