In July, Chris Weidman ended Anderson Silva‘s middleweight title reign of nearly seven years. At UFC 166, “The Spider” will attempt to reclaim his spot atop the 185-pound division.
Weidman was touted as a future champion by jiu-jitsu coach Matt Serra before his UFC career even began. However, not even Serra could have predicted Weidman would be the one to dethrone Silva or that he’d do so with striking.
Unbeaten in his first 16 UFC bouts, Silva was and still is widely considered the greatest striker in UFC history. Nonetheless, Weidman caught the legend with a left hook while being taunted and stole the middleweight crown.
At 38 years old, Silva is now out to prove his first UFC defeat was more fluke than the beginning of the end. Where Silva’s career heads now depends on his performance at UFC 168, which will be held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Dec. 28.
As this hugely important 185-pound bout approaches, here is a look at how Weidman and Silva match up in all areas.