Strange things happen in the sports world all the time, but Anderson Silva actually welcoming his own demise at UFC 162 is as bizarre as it gets.
During an interview with SPORTSNETCANADA, Silva was asked to describe how he wanted his UFC middleweight title bout with Chris Weidman to end. His response was chilling to say the least:
“Chris Weidman—Chris Weidman is the best in the world. Chris Weidman, yes, the new champion in the UFC.”
Silva definitely got his wish.
At UFC 162, the pound-for-pound king was finally ousted after a near seven-year reign. Weidman shocked the world by delivering a second-round knockout to win the middleweight title.
Unfortunately, Weidman‘s hard-fought win has been marred by Silva’s befuddling antics. Silva, who is known for toying with his opponents, took the awkward behavior up a notch after losing the first round. This portion of the bout was oddly reminiscent of Silva’s fight with Demian Maia over three years ago at UFC 112, which was so bad that UFC President Dana White threatened to fire him.
Despite all of his bizarre behavior, Silva always came out on top in the end, until he met Weidman.
With only nine professional bouts under his belt, Weidman kept his emotions in check and refrained from becoming overzealous in response to Silva’s taunts. He eventually caught Silva mid-taunt with a left hook followed by a right hand to redirect the course of history. At the end of the fight Weidman was at the top of the middleweight division.
How long will it last?
Weidman is talented enough to stick around for a while and, outside of rumors, Silva hasn’t officially come forward and accepted an immediate rematch. After the fight, the former champ told UFC commentator Joe Rogan he wasn’t interested in the middleweight title or a rematch with Weidman, which is exactly what he told SPORTSNETCANADA a few days prior to the event:
“No man I’m tired bro. No rematch, no rematch. I win and win, go back for all the fights, please.”
It’s no secret White wants a rematch, perhaps even more than Silva. There is something to be said about Siva’s overall disinterest and detachment. Maybe he is tired.
If this is the case, do we really want to see a tired Anderson Silva in a rematch with Chris Weidman?
Jordy McElroy is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA writer for Rocktagon MMA.
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