Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
The former UFC middleweight king reflects on his unforgettable wins over Anderson Silva.
Back in 2013, fighter Chris Weidman made history, becoming the first man to defeat Anderson Silva, beating him twice in less than six months, to claim the UFC middleweight championship of the world.
He’s also a Long Island native, growing up in Baldwin, New York, attending Nassau Community College and Hofstra University. He was a four-time All American in college and he became the first junior college wrestler in history to be a New York State Collegiate Champion.
He held the middleweight belt for two and a half years before losing to Luke Rockhold via technical knockout on Dec. 12, 2015, at UFC 194.
“To become a world champion, to defeat Anderson Silva, to accomplish my goal in one night, it was a super surreal feeling. I finally did it.”
Weidman came into the Silva fight at UFC 162 as a 2-1 underdog. The loss was Silva’s first of his UFC career.
“It was like a dream come true. I knew I was going to beat him. I knew he didn’t have what it takes to beat me. It was meant to be. I was on a quest. I was going to beat him, beat him twice and nobody was going to stop me.”
Weidman was an All-American wrestler in college and a great athlete, but as he describes, he never accomplished his goals until he got to the UFC.
He wanted to be a national champion in college and win an Olympic gold medal, neither of which he accomplished.
Defeating Anderson Silva, who at the time was unbeatable (17-0 in the UFC) and claiming the belt, was validation for Weidman.
“Surreal … my goal was to become world champion, defeat Anderson Silva, to finally accomplish my goal in one night, beating him, knocking him out, winning that belt for the first time, I finally did it.”
In both their bouts, Weidman finished Silva in the second round. The first time, a powerful knockout at 1:18 mark of the second round.
Silva showboated Weidman and the Baldwin, NY native destroyed him with a series of punches. After the referee Herb Dean stopped the fight, Silva was so out of sorts he actually swung at Dean, thinking he was his opponent and the fight was still going on.
In the rematch, a technical knockout at the 1:16 mark of also the second round, when Silva’s left leg snapped when he kicked Weidman.
“To knock him out, a guy who never been knocked out, never been beat, it was a crazy experience.”
Weidman was in attendance at a Newsday Live Q&A event at his alma mater, Hofstra University, along with former UFC champion Matt Serra and current UFC bantamweight contender Aljamain Sterling. The event was hosted by Newsday’s Mark LaMonica.
Serra made national headlines back in 2006 when he did the unthinkable himself, knocking out Georges St-Pierre, becoming just the second fighter to defeat him.
He also predicted that Weidman would finish Silva in their UFC 162 bout.
In Weidman’s journey from barely making enough money to survive and support his family all the way to middleweight champion, defeating an icon in his sport, the former belt holder doesn’t take for granted everything fighting has given to him.
“I had no idea I was going to be living this type of life. Money, autographs, I had no desire to even do that. I fell in love with fighting and those types of things became attached to it. I would tell myself right now you’re playing World of Warcraft and you’re pretty good at wrestling but your life is going to get pretty exciting. Lots of ups and downs but crazier than you can imagine.”
Weidman did the East Coast Grapplers Quest in his weight class and the absolute division (every weight class combined) with all 13 matches ending in submission.
He won $1000, a title belt and a $2000 clothing sponsorship.
“I had wrestled my whole life and never even made a dollar … I was so broke, living in my parents’ basement. Baby on the way. I was making $12,000 a year as a volunteer assistant coach at Hofstra… I just fell in love. I love competing.”
Weidman, who’s recent light heavyweight debut ended in defeat to Dominick Reyes, does not have his next fight booked, but he has expressed interest in eventually rematching Rockhold.