(Weidman watches and comments on Anderson Silva vs. Stephan Bonnar live, last year in Brazil. Video via YouTube.com/fueltv)
On Monday, UFC President Dana White told MMA Junkie that, should middleweight champion Anderson Silva lose his title defense against Chris Weidman this Saturday at UFC 162 in Las Vegas, “I’d do the rematch the next fight.”
White went on to explain why Silva’s title defense against Weidman might just effectively be a warm-up match for the champion. “[Silva] hasn’t lost in the UFC ever, has beat everybody. He loses that fight, he’s the guy for a rematch if he wants it.”
While a decision like this could be perceived as indicative of the UFC desperately wanting to keep Silva champion and of their willingness to do just about anything to make sure that happens, immediate title rematches are not without precedent and are, in fact, becoming quite common in the organization. (These kinds of rematches also have a long tradition in boxing, where bout agreements often include automatic rematch clauses for champions.)
Silva certainly deserves one based on past accomplishments, as White suggested, but a rematch could also just be good business. For his part, Weidman is certainly not surprised by White’s announcement. The #1 contender has already says that he expects to have to face and beat Silva twice. Heck, his coach Matt Serra had to do the same thing when he beat Georges St. Pierre in 2007.
“If I beat Anderson Silva, I definitely kind of expect a rematch,” Weidman said recently.
“Unless he decides to retire because he’s the greatest of all time. He’s been undefeated in the UFC, and I’m sure he’s not just going to lose and then fight a couple of guys to get a title shot again. He’s going to be right back in there.”
Do you think automatic immediate rematches are fair to underdogs who manage to pull out wins, Potato Nation? And, if you are one of the many who are giving Weidman more than snowball’s chance in hell, do you think he can take out “The Spider” twice in a row?