UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva’s next title defense will take place at UFC 162 and will be against the unbeaten Chris Weidman.
Weidman will bring an unbeaten 9-0 record with him when he steps into the Octagon to face Silva in Las Vegas. As impressive as Weidman’s professional record may be, it pales in comparison to the numbers that Silva has put up since joining the UFC in June 2006.
Silva has run off a record 16 consecutive wins with the promotion. Ten of those victories have come in UFC title defenses. The champ is also on a run of stoppage wins, as Silva’s last four fights have all ended before the conclusion of the second round. The middleweight kingpin earned a KO or TKO in each of those contests. Silva’s most recent win was a first-round TKO over Stephan Bonnar at UFC 153, a fight that Silva took on short notice and fought at the light heavyweight limit.
Weidman will enter the bout against Silva after a fairly long layoff, having last battled in July 2012. After that fight, a second-round knockout victory over the highly ranked Mark Munoz, Weidman underwent surgery to repair damage to his shoulder.
Prior to the Munoz fight, Weidman racked up UFC wins over Demian Maia, Tom Lawlor, Jesse Bongfeldt and Alessio Sakara.
A fully healed Weidman will look to end Silva’s title reign when the two meet on July 6. Can Weidman accomplish what so many have tried and failed to do before him? Munoz recently took some time to ponder that very question and offer his opinion on the upcoming title fight.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com