If Anderson Silva wants to avenge his loss to middleweight champion Chris Weidman and cement his legacy as a fighter, he has to emerge victorious in their scheduled rematch.
UFC president Dana White has confirmed that the anticipated rematch between Silva (33-5) and Weidman (10-0) will indeed take place at UFC 168 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Dec. 28, according to MMA Junkie via USA Today.
Despite Silva’s immediate comments telling the media that he didn’t want a rematch, per Franklin McNeil of ESPN.com, White was able to convince everyone involved that this was the best course of action.
Silva himself released a video to ESPN claiming that he was back.
While Silva is already one of the greatest fighters of all time, the former champion must walk out of the pay-per-view victorious or risk tarnishing his legacy. Weidman proved to be the better fighter at UFC 162, but a loss in his first defense against Silva would prove it was just a fluke victory.
If Silva were to lose, though, the former champion would be viewed as a shell of the champion that once ruled the middleweight division with an iron fist.
Weidman proved that he is a strong wrestler and can push through the mental frustration of being stifled by Silva. As much as The Spider’s tactics in the Octagon are unorthodox and rub many fans the wrong way, they helped the former champion amass 16 consecutive wins and 10 title defenses.
Instead of Silva changing his style for the rematch in order to win, he must study the strengths of Weidman more closely and formulate a game plan that can frustrate the American.
As much as the Brazilian is the overall better fighter, Weidman has proved that he is not afraid of taking a beating to land the shots it takes to walk away victorious.
With Silva refocused and determined to get his title back and Weidman preparing to defend the belt he worked his whole life to win, the battle this time will be much more intense.
The Spider will continue to use his cocky in-ring mannerisms to frustrate his opponent, but expect them to be noticeably toned down to avoid another knockout defeat.
Weidman proved to Silva and the world that he was capable of winning the championship, and now it’s the former champion’s time to prove how great he really is.
If Silva loses, there will always be a dark cloud over the end of his title reign, and that will tarnish his overall legacy in MMA.
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