This Saturday, UFC 162 goes live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. A main event between middleweight champion Anderson Silva and top contender Chris Weidman headlines the pay-per-view card. For those looking to get a bit more i…
This Saturday, UFC 162 goes live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. A main event between middleweight champion Anderson Silva and top contender Chris Weidman headlines the pay-per-view card.
For those looking to get a bit more involved in the action, the betting lines for the main card fights are in, and we’ve got all the odds right here.
Are you confident Silva, the perennial favorite, will finally see his legendary title reign come to an abrupt halt against Weidman? Are you more willing to take flyers on slight underdogs such as Dennis Siver and Roger Gracie?
Find out where the value lies for this card as we handicap all five main card fights from UFC 162.
If there really are no guarantees in the sport of MMA, someone should alert Chris Weidman.On a recent episode of UFC Tonight, the middleweight top contender was asked if he will defeat Anderson Silva at UFC 162 this weekend. A confident Weidman assured…
If there really are no guarantees in the sport of MMA, someone should alert Chris Weidman.
On a recent episode of UFC Tonight, the middleweight top contender was asked if he will defeat Anderson Silva at UFC 162 this weekend. A confident Weidman assured analysts ChaelSonnen and Kenny Florian that he would, though he didn’t stop there.
I will beat Anderson Silva on Saturday, and I’m going to be going for the finish. I honestly have a hard time visualizing this fight going five rounds, to be honest with you—with all due respect.
Silva has not only avoided a stoppage loss during his UFC career; “The Spider” hasn’t even been defeated in 16 fights under the Zuffa banner.
His title reign has aged seven years since he earned the 185-pound belt back in 2006. Weidman was just 22 years of age at the time, and the New York native did not make his professional debut until three years after, in 2009.
Silva’s fortitude compared to Weidman‘s relative inexperience places the champion as a 2:1 favorite heading into the Las Vegas event. The betting line hasn’t swayed the challenger, however. The five-fight UFC veteran already envisions himself with the middleweight belt.
Oh, I’ve envisioned (winning the title). I feel like any goal you have, you’ve got to live from that goal. So I’m living with that belt on right now. I’m already feeling that belt around my waist. I just have to make it happen on Saturday, and that’s what I’m going to do.
Twelve men have presumably entered a contest against Silva with that same mentality. The Brazilian sent all of them home (or to the hospital) without UFC gold.
But many consider Weidman as the top threat to superstar Silva. Plenty even believe Weidman is the man to finally end the champion’s longtime reign, including a number of UFC stars.
Former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar is one fighter picking Weidman to defeat Silva. Welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre is another.
Silva doesn’t seem to mind, and the hype surrounding Weidman doesn’t take away the fact that he’s fighting arguably the greatest MMA fighter of all time this Saturday.
But Weidman isn’t concerned with Silva’s all-time status. The contender is only concerned with getting in the Octagon.
My biggest concern was getting through this camp injury free, and I’ve done that. I’ve gotten through the hard work already. My biggest concern now is just to go in there and work hard. You know, fight my fight. That’s really it. I feel very confident, and I just want to get inside that cage.
UFC 162 takes place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, this Saturday. The middleweight title fight headlines the pay-per-view event.
The month of June has come and gone and with it a pair of UFC events—UFC on Fuel 10 and UFC 161—have come and gone as well. And we have the key statistics from last month right here. The first event was nothing short of stellar, featuring 1…
The month of June has come and gone and with it a pair of UFC events—UFC on Fuel 10 and UFC 161—have come and gone as well. And we have the key statistics from last month right here.
The first event was nothing short of stellar, featuring 10 stoppages in 12 fights. The headliner, a heavyweight bout between Fabricio Werdum and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, saw the former walk away with a submission win.
However, the follow-up event, a pay-per-view card, featured just two stoppages and a handful of lackluster contests. That card, UFC 161, was headlined by Rashad Evans vs. Dan Henderson. Evans took home a split-decision after three rounds of action.
Check out where last month stands in comparison to the first five of 2013 in the UFC in our list of key stats from the past 30 days.
The month of June has come and gone and with it a pair of UFC events—UFC on Fuel 10 and UFC 161—have come and gone as well. And we have the key statistics from last month right here. The first event was nothing short of stellar, featuring 1…
The month of June has come and gone and with it a pair of UFC events—UFC on Fuel 10 and UFC 161—have come and gone as well. And we have the key statistics from last month right here.
The first event was nothing short of stellar, featuring 10 stoppages in 12 fights. The headliner, a heavyweight bout between Fabricio Werdum and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, saw the former walk away with a submission win.
However, the follow-up event, a pay-per-view card, featured just two stoppages and a handful of lackluster contests. That card, UFC 161, was headlined by Rashad Evans vs. Dan Henderson. Evans took home a split-decision after three rounds of action.
Check out where last month stands in comparison to the first five of 2013 in the UFC in our list of key stats from the past 30 days.
For the second consecutive month, the UFC delivered just two events, but plenty happened in the last 30 days, and we have the full MMA stock report for the month of June.The first event, UFC on Fuel 10, featured 10 stoppages out of 12 fights, including…
For the second consecutive month, the UFC delivered just two events, but plenty happened in the last 30 days, and we have the full MMA stock report for the month of June.
The first event, UFC on Fuel 10, featured 10 stoppages out of 12 fights, including Thiago Silva’s knockout over Rafael Cavalcante and Fabricio Werdum‘s submission win over Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.
Then, the second event of the month, UFC 161, featured a stoppage drought as just two fights did not require the judges’ scorecards. Rashad Evans and Dan Henderson headlined the pay-per-view card, with the former taking home a split-decision win.
While the second event of the month was lackluster, there were still plenty of fighters to rise and fall during the last 30 days, while others simply watched their statuses remain unchanged.
Between 2008 and the first half of 2010, the UFC middleweight division was in the midst of a dark age—a time where contenders were few and champion Anderson Silva’s level of interest was diminishing. The downturn began just after Silva’s win…
Between 2008 and the first half of 2010, the UFC middleweight division was in the midst of a dark age—a time where contenders were few and champion Anderson Silva‘s level of interest was diminishing.
The downturn began just after Silva’s win over Dan Henderson at UFC 82 in March of 2008. Following that victory, Silva fought three less-than-qualified contenders and seemed genuinely bored with the lack of top competition.
His opponents—Patrick Cote, Thales Leites and Demian Maia—were unable to put “The Spider” in danger, and Silva reacted by displaying his disinterest in the cage (see: UFC 112).
Then everything changed.
Following his miserable, borderline-offensive performance against Maia, Silva found himself on the receiving end of a verbal barrage from ChaelSonnen, a brash middleweight unafraid of “The Spider” and his air of invincibility. The division has never been the same since.
Now that the B.C. (Before Chael) era is long gone, the 185-pound weight class is as good as it’s ever been. Actually, it’s by far the most competitive version of the middleweight division we’ve ever seen.
Just one thing: Silva is methodically taking out all of the top contenders.
On July 6, top contender Chris Weidman looks to begin a new era when he challenges Silva for the title at UFC 162. Many, including welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre, believe Weidman is the man to finally break Silva’s incredible winning streak and rob him of his championship belt.
But what if he doesn’t? What if Silva does to Weidman the same thing he did to Sonnen at UFC 148, YushinOkami at UFC 134 or VitorBelfort at UFC 126?
What then? Good question.
The situation—which, for the sake of argument, assumes Silva defeats Weidman—is complex for a number of reasons.
One reason: Silva has defeated the majority of top middleweights.
In his last four title fights, Silva has defeated the current No. 2 middleweight contender (Belfort), No. 3 middleweight contender (Okami), and No. 9 middleweight contender (Sonnen), though Sonnen would be ranked much higher had he not jumped ship for the light heavyweight division.
Another reason: mobility is lacking.
Belfort and Okami (and even Sonnen if he stayed at 185-pounds) are perennial contenders. And, as poorly as they’ve performed against Silva, they’re quite good at taking out the rising contenders.
Example:
Michael Bisping entered his bout against Belfort at UFC on FX 7 with a lot on the line; Dana White promised him a title shot if he could defeat the Brazilian.
Belfort knocked him out in the second round, and Bisping took a tumble out of contention.
Sonnendid the same thing to him in January of 2012. The decision win earned Sonnen a rematch with Silva, while Bisping failed to jump into a top contender’s slot.
Oh, and Bisping‘s first title eliminator—against Dan Henderson at UFC 100—ended in utter disaster.
“The Count” is currently ranked as the No. 4 middleweight contender, which may simply be his ceiling, as he can’t get past anyone ranked higher.
Of course, there are a few others who are currently making a push for the title at middleweight.
One name that sticks out is Costa Philippou, who earned his fifth straight victory at UFC 155 when he knocked out Tim Boetsch (No. 10 ranked contender).
Another is Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza, who finished off his Strikeforce career with a victory over Ed Herman, then debuted in the UFC with a submission win over Chris Camozzi. “Jacare” is expected to face Okami next.
Then, deeper down the list, guys like Luke Rockhold and Mark Munoz appear, sitting at least a couple wins out of serious contention.
Unfortunately, out of Souza, Philippou, Munoz and Rockhold, the UFC doesn’t have a ton to work with.
Souza and Philippou could turn into top contenders, but neither has earned a win over top-caliber competition such as Belfort, Okami or even Bisping. And Munoz was absolutely wrecked by Weidman, while Belfort did a number on Rockhold just recently.
The third cause of an uncertain future if Silva wins at UFC 162: the promotion can’t keep pressing the rematch button.
The Silva-Sonnen saga deserves a chapter all its own in the UFC history books, but that rivalry has run its course. And a Silva-Okami rematch is not something the UFC or its fans should want, considering how their last meeting ended.
The promotion, should the first fight prove entertaining enough, could call for a Silva-Weidman rematch, or they could throw Belfort back into the cage; as of right now, those are the only two matchups with any intrigue.
But rematches can plague a division, not allowing the weight class to develop or progress. The 155-pound weight class is a perfect example of this.
Of course, Weidman could upset Silva, effectively pressing the reset button on the weight class, yielding an endless amount of possibilities. With Weidman as champion, the list of contenders suddenly would be lengthy.
But the odds (designating the contender as a 2:1 underdog) suggest Silva is at least supposed to win the fight. If he does, the list of contenders will once again be shortened.
So, again, the question must be asked: what next?
In all likelihood, Silva rematching Belfort seems the logical next step, if he tops Weidman. And Belfort has been impressive in his last two outings, making that matchup at least somewhat intriguing.
But there’s no point in pretending the division has a wealth of legitimate competition for Silva beyond Weidman and “The Phenom.” And by 2014, if Silva is still champion, that will be all too apparent.