Chris Weidman likes the idea of completing his trilogy Anderson Silva.
On Saturday (March 30), the former middleweight world champion will return to the Octagon for just the second time since he suffered a horrifying leg break during his UFC 261 scrap with Uriah Hall. ‘All American’ came up short in his first fight back against Brad Tavares, but a big win over Bruno Silva at UFC Atlantic City could open up some opportunities for him.
However, with only two fights left on his contract, Weidman can’t help, but look at all the money being made by ex-MMA fighters inside the squared circle. Speaking with Daniel Cormier on the UFC Hall of Famer’s YouTube channel, Weidman suggested that a move from the cage to the ring may be the perfect opportunity to cash in and close out his trilogy with Anderson Silva.
“Listen, I love the UFC, I think I have two fights left on my deal, we’ll see. A big win over Bruno Silva this weekend, because of everything I’ve accomplished, could allot me some big opportunities inside the UFC,” Weidman said. “I love the UFC but obviously there’s boxing matches out there, where [I can] make a lot of money and I wouldn’t mind ending my career with that.
“I love boxing, actually, and who wouldn’t want to see Anderson Silva versus Chris Weidman boxing match? Can he get some revenge on me? So there’s some cool fights out there” (h/t MMA Mania).
Weidman and Silva met in back-to-back bouts in 2013, the first coming at UFC 162 when Weidman scored a second-round knockout against Silva, ending the Brazilian’s 17-fight win streak and taking the 185-pound crown in the process.
They would run it back five months later at UFC 168. There, Silva suffered his own devastating leg break after attempting to deliver a kick in round two. ‘The Spider’ returned a little more than a year later, but never fought his way back to a third meeting with Weidman.
Chris Weidman All-In on a boxing match with Jake Paul
Of course, when you’re talking bout MMA fighters stepping into the world of boxing, you can’t help but bring up Jake Paul. ‘The Problem Child‘ has practically built his entire combat sports career around fighting former UFC stars. Asked about a potential clash with the YouTuber turned boxer, Weidman would happily jump at the chance, though he’s unconvinced that Paul would actually accept the fight.
“I don’t know if he would,” Weidman said of Paul. “Obviously, that would be a big money fight for me. Everyone is dying for that fight. I would love that.”
On July 20, Jake Paul is scheduled to step inside the ring with former unified heavyweight world champion and “baddest man on the planet” Mike Tyson. The bout will air live on Netflix at no additional charge for its 260+ million subscribers around the world.
