Anderson Silva may not be interested in fighting Chris Weidman, but at the end of the day, it’s Dana White‘s decision.
During an appearance on FUEL TV’s “UFC Tonight,” the UFC President talked about the middleweight title picture and whether or not Weidman was being considered for the No. 1 Contender’s spot.
“I think [Weidman vs. Silva] is closer and more possible than people think. I actually thought that Weidman was going to be out a lot longer than he was because of his injury, but he’s healed up pretty well and is claiming he’ll be able to start training again in a couple of months.
So, we’re looking at a couple of different options right now, some options that we like, and Weidman is one of them.”
For months, Weidman has pleaded for an opportunity to challenge Silva, who is on an astonishing 18-fight win streak.
Despite his lack of notoriety, Weidman boasts an undefeated record, with his last pair of wins coming over top-10 opposition. He is still healing up from a shoulder injury, and the timetable for his return is set for July, which is the same time Silva is expected to compete again.
There really isn’t a single middleweight who stands out as a more deserving contender than Weidman.
Unfortunately, Silva’s camp doesn’t feel the same way.
Ed Soares, Silva’s manager, recently told CageFanatic.com that Weidman is a “phenomenal talent,” but he needs to wait until he’s had another fight or two to garner enough recognition for a title fight with Silva.
Instead of facing Weidman, Soares alluded to Silva possibly being interested in fighting former Strikeforce middleweight champ Cung Le.
The news didn’t go over so well for Weidman, who also made an appearance on “UFC Tonight.” In a last desperate plea, he decided to up the ante in his proposal:
“Perfect world? [I’ll be back] July fourth weekend against Anderson Silva, I’ll grant him an immediate rematch at Madison Square Garden, New York City, in a monumental event.”
Perhaps the Silva camp has finally run out of excuses.
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