Looks like UFC middleweight contender Chris Weidman may get his wish to fight for Anderson Silva‘s belt after all.
According to a report by Tatame (translation by Bloody Elbow), Silva vs. Weidman is in the works for July 6, which they confirm with Dave Martin and Ed Soares, the managers of Weidman and Silva, respectively.
The report states that Soares, who initially wanted the fight in Brazil, now seems to be pushing for the Independence Day weekend pay-per-view, which would be held in Las Vegas.
Weidman, who is a perfect 9-0 inside the cage, has stated on numerous occasions that he felt “The Spider” was ducking him, but it seems he can now no longer make that claim.
“The All-American” last defeated fellow contender Mark Munoz in impressive fashion at UFC on FUEL TV 4 in July, knocking him out with and elbow strike and subsequent punches in the second round.
Meanwhile, Silva has not defended his gold since UFC 148 in July, scoring a TKO win over rival Chael Sonnen. In his last bout, he easily disposed of Stephan Bonnar at UFC 153 in October, in a light heavyweight contest.
Silva is an unblemished 16-0 under the UFC banner and hold’s the company record for successful title defenses (10).
While Silva may have never been ducking Weidman, he was never high on his priority list, with Soares suggesting names such as Rich Franklin, Georges St-Pierre and even Cung Le as possibilities for his star client’s next opponent.
With 185-pound staples Michael Bisping, Alan Belcher and Tim Boetsch all losing in recent months, as well as former light heavyweight champ Rashad Evans—it’s tough to argue that there are any other fights that make sense for the middleweight strap besides Silva vs. Weidman.
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