Author: Michael Stets

Chris Weidman’s knockout victory over Anderson Silva at UFC 162 was definitely one of the biggest upsets in MMA history—not only for snapping Silva’s 16-fight win streak in the UFC, but also because Weidman became the first fighter to ever finish him by strikes.

Just where exactly does this fight rank in the annals of MMA upset history?

Should it be ranked higher than Matt Serra’s shocking victory over George St-Pierre at UFC 69: Shootout on April 7, 2007?

Is it more impressive than Fabricio Werdum’s triangle victory over Fedor Emelianenko in Strikeforce on June 26, 2010?

Does it surpass Mike Chandlers stunning fourth-round submission finish over Eddie Alvarez at UFC 58 on November 19, 2011?

As far as betting odds are concerned, GSP was a -1300 favorite when Serra defeated him.  Fedor was a minus-700 favorite when he was submitted by Werdum, and was undefeated in his previous 29 consecutive fights.  Silva was actually the lowest favorite out of the others mentioned at minus-230, right behind Alavarez’s minus-260 when he lost to Chandler.

While GSP had lost to Matt Hughes six fights prior to Matt Serra, the fact that he was an overwhelming favorite and lost to a fighter who just won the “Comebacks” season of The Ultimate Fighter, that should rank that upset as the greatest of all time.

Fedor’s invincibility coming to an end at the hands of Fabricio Werdum should be second, especially due to the fact that the Russian standout lost his next two fights.  Werdum being the first fighter to submit the Combat Sambo champion counts aplenty though.

Weidman’s knockout victory over Silva slides in nicely in the third position ahead of Chandler’s upset over Alvarez.

There are several factors that led to this ranking.  One factor is that many fighters and experts were picking Weidman to win.  The other is that Silva was only a minus-230 favorite, much lower than GSP’s line vs. Serra and Fedor’s vs. Werdum.  Lastly, Silva is 38 years old, the oldest among the fighters who were upset and clearly closer to the end of his career than the beginning.  GSP was 25 when he lost, Fedor was 32 and Alvarez was 27.

Weidman finishing “The Spider” is undoubtedly one of the greatest upsets in MMA history.  Whether it’s the greatest upset or not is a matter of subjectivity.  There is no disputing it is among the greatest.

Where do the Bleacher Report MMA readers rank it?  Sound off in the comments below.

 

Michael Stets is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Chris Weidman shocked the world at UFC 162 on Saturday night by doing what no other fighter had ever been able to do: knock out Anderson Silva.

He caught Silva with a big left hook while his defenses were down—due to his incessant showboating—and finished him off on the ground a little over a minute into the second round.

Let’s take a look at some of the most pivotal moments of the fight that led to that finish and the crowning of a new UFC middleweight champion.

 

The First Takedown

Weidman proved his wrestling acumen could be successful against Silva as he secured his first takedown about 30 seconds into the opening round.  

He was able to keep Silva on the ground and land several punches from both inside his closed guard, and standing up in his open guard.   Due to Silva’s experience from his back and his sound defense, he avoided any significant damage.

The Leg Attack

After keeping Silva there for almost two minutes, Weidman dropped back for a knee bar.  He couldn’t secure that submission and then switched to an inverted heel hook.  

Silva escaped both, but by attempting those submissions, it showed that Weidman was not going to be cautious in this fight and that he was willing to go for the win by any means necessary.

 

Entering “The Spider’s” Web

After Silva escaped the leg attacks, he returned to his feet.  From there, the antics and showboating that we’ve seen many times before returned.  Silva kept his hands down, at one point put his hands on his hips and shook his head after getting hit by a punch.  He then waved Weidman back over to him asking for more.  

Silva began to loosen up and land some outside leg kicks, but Weidman stood his ground and didn’t just look to attempt another takedown.  It appeared that if Weidman continued to stand with Silva, he would be destined for trouble.

 

The Kiss Between Rounds

Silva was again waving for Weidman to attack him, and the horn sounded as Weidman threw a right hand.  Weidman put his hand out to shake Silva’s, and he accepted.  Silva then put his hand on his head and kissed him on the cheek.

It was their second embrace of the week, if you count the awkward lip touching stare down at the weigh-ins.

 

Candid Corner Advice

In between rounds Weidman’s head coach Ray Longo told Weidman, “I want you to punch a hole in his f**king chest, that’s what I want.  Everything else is good…Don’t get careless…You are looking good.”

 

The End of an Era due to Arrogance

Silva started up with his histrionics once again at the start of the second round.  He was wobbling around, back pedaling, dancing and showing Weidman no respect whatsoever.  He would mock Weidman for the final time, dropping his hands before getting clipped by a clean left hook that sent him crashing to the canvas.   

Weidman followed that up with a huge right hand and another left, before Herb Dean stepped in to halt the bout.   

 

The Indelible Image

As Herb Dean stopped the fight at the 1:18 mark of the second round, Weidman had jumped up in celebration, while Silva was waking up and grabbing at the referee’s leg.  It was an image of what many thought wasn’t possible: the first time he was ever finished by strikes in his career.

 

Michael Stets is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Without question, all 12,399 fight fans in attendance at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas got their money’s worth on Saturday night.  So did everyone watching on pay-per-view, as Chris Weidman dethroned Anderson Silva in shocking fashion to become the new UFC middleweight champion.

This fight was over a year in the making, and no one can dispute that it surpassed all expectations and will be one of the most memorable battles to ever take place inside the Octagon.

It is perhaps the biggest upset in the sport’s history since Fabricio Werdum defeated Fedor Emelianenko by triangle choke back in February of 2011.  Without a doubt, it was the biggest upset in the UFC since Matt Serra defeated Georges St. Pierre by knockout in April of 2007 (both UFC upsets coming from Team Serra-Longo).

What made the upset even more shocking, is the fact that Weidman knocked Silva out, which is something even those who picked the Long Island middleweight never expected.

The recipe for Weidman to become the new middleweight champ was to get Silva to the ground and wear him down or look for a submission.  In the first round Weidman did just that.  He secured a takedown, landed some big punches and attempted a knee bar followed by a heel hook.

To stand with the most dangerous striker the sport has ever seen would’ve been foolish and led to an early evening.  Except, after Silva got back to his feet, that’s what Weidman did.  He entered into the world where many before him were lulled into before being knocked out in emphatic fashion.

Silva taunted him at the end of the first and before the second round even began.  Weidman didn’t blink.  He stayed on course, didn’t charge in with reckless abandon and didn’t lose his cool.  

Weidman remained patient, and when Silva continued to show no respect by dropping his hands, he laid him out with a left hook, followed by a huge right hand to end his night for good at the 1:18 mark of the second round.  Weidman would earn an additional $50,000 for “Knockout of the Night” honors.

Seeing Silva laid out on the floor of the Octagon is a sight that no one covering the sport thought they would ever see.  The way in which Weidman’s upset victory unfolded will leave an indelible impression on the sports history.

If Silva had   continued his antics and finished off Weidman, many would’ve looked back at Weidman only having five fights in the UFC.  They would’ve said that he wasn’t ready and how he was pushed into the title bout too soon.

He made history, proved he belongs among the best and taught the lesson that you should never drop your defenses and take any opponent for granted.

Silva vs. Weidman definitely lived up to the hype.  The question to ponder now is: If there is a rematch, can that fight surpass their first encounter?

 

Michael Stets is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com