Already six months into 2013, UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva has not joined the hunt for Fighter of the Year honors.
“The Spider” will have his chance to catch up on Saturday when he will attempt to defend his 185-pound belt against Chris Weidman. On the other side of the coin, a bout with the greatest ever will give Weidman a great opportunity to take the lead in the Fighter of the Year race with a single victory.
Should he beat Weidman without taking much damage, Silva may have time to squeeze in a superfight with light heavyweight champion Jon Jones at the UFC’s year-end show. If that bout does take place in 2013, the winner will almost be guaranteed Fighter of the Year recognition.
Before we get too ahead of ourselves, though, let’s take a look at the five leaders for Fight of the Year heading into July.