Bruno Silva probably has a legitimate reason for hating Chris Weidman, but you can now add Daniel Cormier to the Brazilian’s sh*t list.
Silva and Weidman went toe-to-toe at UFC Atlantic City in March. Weidman initially won the bout via TKO just past the two-minute mark of the third round, but the decision was later changed after it was revealed that eye pokes played a sizeable role in the fight-ending sequence. Silva initially wanted to see the fight ruled a no-contest, but the State Athletic Control Board of New Jersey denied his request and instead switched it to a win for Weidman via technical decision.
Silva later revealed that he temporarily lost 30% of his vision in one of his eyes.
Understandably upset, Silva lobbied for a rematch with Weidman. Instead, he’ll return against Ismail Naurdiev this Saturday in Abu Dhabi.
“We were asking for this fight,” Silva said in an interview with MMA Fighting. “When I go to bed at night, he’s the opponent I hate the most. I’ve fought many people, I have more than 30 MMA fights, but every time I think of him and [Daniel] Cormier, I feel anger.
Silva explained that his beef with Cormier stems from the Hall of Famer poking fun (pun not intended) at the controversial contest by wearing protective eyewear while co-hosting the UFC 300 weigh-in show with Weidman two weeks later.
Bruno Silva plans to call out Chris Weidman at UFC 308
While Silva is booked for UFC 308, Weidman will return to action on November 16 for the promotion’s return to Madison Square Garden.
“[Weidman] is fighting a month after me, and my focus is on knocking this guy [Naurdiev], and then I’m calling him out on the mic,” Silva said. “I could ask for other opponents, but I like to deal with things my way. He’s fighting next month, and I have a score to settle with him. It’s personal. I’ll ask the UFC, and I hope they send him my way. He’s not on a great run, but he has a big name. He’s a former champion, and it brings good media. If we both win, maybe that’s interesting for the UFC. I want that fight back. But if that’s something that’s gonna slow me down, f*ck that dude.”
Days after their fight, Weidman suggested that Silva overreacted to the eye pokes and defended his return to the win column for the first time in nearly four years. Silva, on the other hand, has now lost three straight after coming up short against Brendan Allen and Shara Magomedov before meeting Weidman in The Garden State.
“My biggest mistake was that I respected Chris Weidman too much, and I’ll live with that for the rest of my life,” Silva said. “He deserved no respect. Even [coach Andre] Dida said I respected him way too much. The fight was over, we spoke in the locker room because I didn’t want any bad vibe. And then he grabs the mic and starts talking crap, him and Cormier. My God. Cormier, talk about an insufferable person.”
