In advance of his UFC 162 fight with Chris Weidman, Anderson Silva probably didn’t need or want a distraction. But thanks to a candid comment at a Monday media luncheon, he’s got one.
The middleweight champion and pound-for-pound kingpin told assembled media Monday afternoon that he believes he would lose to light heavyweight champ Jon Jones should the two ever have a long-desired, long-rumored superfight.
Courtesy of MMAFighting.com, the greatest MMA fighter of all time reportedly said in semi-fluent English that “if I fight Jon Jones, I’m don’t think I’m going to win.”
As if to diffuse any notion of a misunderstanding, “Spider” Silva continued, all while referring to himself in the third person.
“In my opinion,” Silva reportedly said, “‘Spider’ has more experience than Jon Jones, but that’s the only advantage.”
It’s an unexpected comment from Silva (33-4), who turned 38 years old in April. Given that he’s facing in Weidman a man who pundits believe may stand a strong chance of beating him, it may be downright baffling.
Jones (18-1) has said he wants to break Tito Ortiz’s record for most light-heavyweight title defenses. Jones will own the new record if he defeats top contender Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 165 in September.
Perhaps more importantly in the context of Silva’s Monday comments, Jones has said he will entertain “superfights and heavyweight fights” after owning that record.
At UFC 162, Silva will stake his belt and 16-fight win streak against the 29-year-old Weidman (9-0). Weidman certainly lacks Silva’s experience and bona fides, but is believed to be a bad matchup for Silva’s Muay-Thai-poured-over-jiu-jitsu style, thanks to his full-throttle takedowns and heavy ground-and-pound.
A college wrestling All-American, Weidman has transitioned pretty smoothly to the MMA cage. Still, it has been nearly a year since he last fought, specifically in a second-round knockout of Mark Munoz.
Silva has been more active. He emerged victorious in two bouts in 2012, over Chael Sonnen and Stephan Bonnar.
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