Chris Weidman | UFC Betting Sites - The Best MMA Online Bookies

Chris Weidman: I’m Focused on Anderson Silva Rematch, ‘Superfights Will Come’

Newly crowned UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman believes he can beat Anderson Silva again, and while he isn’t thinking about superfights yet, he thinks those options will be available soon. “The All-American” said as much in an appearance on…

Newly crowned UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman believes he can beat Anderson Silva again, and while he isn’t thinking about superfights yet, he thinks those options will be available soon.

“The All-American” said as much in an appearance on Ariel Helwani‘s The MMA Hour this afternoon, noting that there is no other fight he wants more than a rematch with Silva.

“(Silva) deserves a rematch,” Weidman told Helwani over the phone. “I still think I would beat (Silva) again … There is going to be a rematch, and I’m focused on Anderson Silva, superfights will come … I want the rematch, that’s the fight I want.”

Weidman also indicated that the suggested timeline of having the rematch during Super Bowl Weekend in February would be “perfect” for him, as he has a few bumps and bruises he wants to heal up before he’s back in the cage.

While there is no questioning that “The Spider” deserves an immediate rematch, given his 17-fight win streak and 10 successful title defenses, the Brazilian himself cast doubt on Silva-Weidman II.

Silva was tentatively linked to a superfight with UFC light heavyweight champ Jon Jones with another victory on Saturday night, but Weidman brought those plans to a screeching halt.

Speaking with color commentator Joe Rogan immediately after the loss, Silva said he was not interested in fighting Weidman again, or even competing for the middleweight strap again (via MMA Junkie).

Nevertheless, Weidman said the UFC told him that is the fight to expect next, so he is talking their word at face value.

As expected, other middleweight contenders not named Anderson Silva are chomping at the bit for a shot at the new champion, including Michael Bisping and Vitor Belfort.

While the UFC’s newest titleholder reiterated he fully expects to fight Silva a second time, he’s open to taking on Bisping or Belfort, though he believes “The Phenom” deserves it more.

“I think Vitor deserves [a shot] more than Bisping, but it’s UFC’s call,” Weidman said succinctly.

Bisping called out Weidman on Twitter within minutes after he beat Silva, while Belfort wasted no time in relentlessly asking UFC President Dana White for another title fight (via Yahoo! Sports).

“The Count” has almost no shot chance at fighting for the middleweight strap given that he’s just 2-2 in his past four fights, beating Brian Stann and Alan Belcher and losing to Chael Sonnen and, coincidentally, Belfort.

On the other hand, Belfort has won four of his past five bouts, with his sole loss coming in a light heavyweight title fight against Jones on a short notice fight at UFC 152 in September.

Since then, the Brazilian slugger has bounced back with headkick knockouts over Bisping and former Strikeforce 185-pound titleholder Luke Rockhold.

Will fans be treated to Weidman vs. Silva II during Super Bowl weekend next year or will the Brazilian legend actually stick to his word and turn down one of the biggest rematches in UFC history?

John Heinis is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA Editor for eDraft.com and contributes MMA videos to The Young Turks Sports Show.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Nick Diaz Broke Up With His Girlfriend, So Now He Wants to Fight Again

(Instagram: Letting the whole world see images of intimate moments that will later fill you with sadness and loathing since 2010.)

Last week, Nick Diaz posted a picture of himself with a woman he identified as his ex, and wrote “Never Post pictures of your girlfriend on Instagram Especially if you love her. #xgf #x #ftw #hatelife #might #have #to #slap #the #winner #tomorrow #need #a #fight #danawhite.”

As best as we could guess, Nick was saying that he wasn’t in a good emotional place right now, probably because of a recent break-up, and he wanted to fight the winner of UFC 162‘s main event between Anderson Silva and Chris Weidman. Now, Diaz calling out the winner of a middleweight title fight despite his two-fight losing streak at welterweight makes about as much sense as him saying not to post pictures of a girlfriend on an Instagram post where he posts a picture of a girlfriend, but dammit we were intrigued.

At the UFC 162 post event scrum, Dana White confirmed that Diaz had contacted him directly, asking to come out of his self-described retirement and fight again. “[Nick] texted me that he broke up with his girlfriend and he wants to fight,” White told reporters.

(Instagram: Letting the whole world see images of intimate moments that will later fill you with sadness and loathing since 2010.)

Dang, having any sort of fame must seriously suck. Nick can’t get high, get his ass beat, break up with a girlfriend, or text his boss without the whole world seeing or being told about it.

We suppose doing a half-assed job of promoting his new, surprisingly good MMA promotion, and doing triathlons more often and casually than most people stretch isn’t keeping Nick happy these days. Every time he tries to get out, MMA keeps pulling him back in. But hey, you didn’t believe that retirement bullshit was real in the first place, did you?

Now that Diaz is back, who do you want to see him fight next, ‘Tater tots? Chris Weidman? Carlos Condit? Anderson Silva? Joe Riggs? Roy Jones Jr.?

– Elias Cepeda

UFC 162 Results: Was Chris Weidman’s Victory the Biggest Upset in MMA History?

“The Spider” Anderson Silva began to spin his web of deceit at UFC 162 in the opening minutes. It looked as if Silva was ready to put on another performance in evasion and counter striking much like he had done in his previous outings.Only this time hi…

Only this time his opponent, Chris Weidman, didn’t fall into the trap. Rather than rushing straight in as so many have done before him, the Serra-Longo product kept a cool head and slowly worked his way into striking range. It wasn’t flashy (a back hand slap as a setup?), but it worked.

With one punch Weidman sent not only the UFC middleweight champion crashing down, he sent perhaps the greatest MMA fighter to compete back to the realm of mortals.

For years Silva seemed like a God among men. His ability to lean away from punches and provide crisp, accurate, devastating counter punches seemed unreal. We’ve seen professional boxers be able to utilize the lean as part of their defensive skill set but never have we seen a guy manage to evade strikes like Silva did.

The Brazilian seemed primed for another highlight reel finish as he began to taunt Weidman at UFC 162. For a moment it seemed as if the trap had been sprung perfectly. Weidman abandoned his ground game in the second round and instead chose to fight “The Spider” exactly where Silva wanted to be; on the feet.

This time, Silva fell into his own trap.

Weidman, with only nine professional fights under his belt prior to UFC 162 and being out of action for nearly a year, ended the reign of “The Spider” at 185 pounds.

Now that the smoke has cleared and fans are coming to grips with what has to be one of the most shocking losses in MMA history, is it fair to say Weidman‘s KO over Silva at UFC 162 was the biggest upset in MMA history?

Looking back, the sport has seen the mighty fallen on many occasions. The two fights most fans come up with when thinking of the greatest upsets are Georges St-Pierre vs. Matt Serra at UFC 69 and Fabricio Werdum’s submission of Fedor Emelianenko in Strikeforce.

Serra was perhaps the biggest underdog in MMA history as he was awarded a title shot by competing on the UFC’s reality show, The Ultimate Fighter. Sporting a meager 9-4 record, Serra didn’t have many impressive wins at the time.

And although GSP is one of the most dominant champions in MMA history, he wasn’t on the same level as he is now back at UFC 69. St-Pierre was a great fighter but only sported a 14-1 record. He had some impressive victories but many fans were left with a sour taste in their mouth after having to digest his split-decision victory over BJ Penn at UFC 58.

When Emelianenko brought the aura of invincibility to Strikeforce, MMA fans quickly found it to be a bit cracked. It began with Andrei Arlovski putting Emelianenko against the ropes and looking to be on his way to a huge upset. Brett Rogers enjoyed a small measure of success which says a lot given how raw he was in MMA and where his career has gone since then.

In both fights however, Emelianenko was able to escape and take home the victory. Against Werdum, there would be no escape.

Although very few fans gave Werdum any shred of hope, the Brazilian was still considered one of the world’s best BJJ practitioners. He’d spent much of his career in flux due to losing a bout every time it seemed he had gotten some momentum.

It only took 69 seconds for Werdum to slap on a triangle choke to force Emelianenko to tap out. It was a rookie mistake by one of the best in the world and gave the Russian his first (legitimate) loss. The win catapulted Werdum up the heavyweight rankings and instantly became 1a. or 1b. for biggest upset in MMA history.

Now we have 1c. Weidman came into UFC 162 having only nine professional bouts and although he enjoyed a decorated grappling career, few fans knew who he was prior to Saturday night. His biggest moment came against Mark Munoz in July of 2012 on FUEL TV. Not only did such few fans get to witness the dominant performance, there were also many people who disregarded the win due to the condition of Munoz.

Prior to the Munoz fight, most fans remembered only a sloppy showing against Demian Maia in Jan. of last year. Granted Weidman took the fight on extremely short notice and endured a tough weight cut, it’s something that doesn’t always register in fans’ minds.

Standing against Weidman was the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. Silva had completely destroyed and embarrassed the UFC middleweight division since his arrival. He even jumped up a weight class to school a few light heavyweights on just how great he is.

With being a complete unknown and Silva already established as the best fighter in history by many, it’s safe to say Weidman‘s upset definitely belongs in the conversation of biggest upset in MMA history.

Of course, it’s subjective and will change from person to person, but I personally believe it was the biggest upset in MMA’s history. Everyone knew Serra’s best chance for winning was to land a haymaker and Werdum’s best chance to win was by his BJJ. Silva appeared to be on a different level than any of his previous opponents and even if you picked Weidman to win, nobody guessed Weidman would do it via knockout on the feet.

I’m sure many will disagree and discredit Weidman‘s victory because Silva “didn’t care” or was simply caught clowning around. But how many times have we seen Silva use this tactic and deliver a highlight reel finish? Weidman not only took on the world’s best fighter, but he beat him at his own game.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 162: Fighters Chris Weidman Should Consider for First Title Defense

After an upset for the ages on Saturday night, when Chris Weidman took down living legend Anderson “The Spider” Silva, we’re left figuring out where the new middleweight champion will look to next.It took Weidman just 10 fights to get to the top of the…

It took Weidman just 10 fights to get to the top of the ultimate fighting world and end the most historic run the sport has ever seen. Now, he’ll weigh out his options for his first title defense.

With a heap of talent in the weight class, Weidman will have his hands full figuring out who the best option is to successfully defend his new crown against for the first time.

Will he choose an established veteran or opt to go with an up-and-comer like himself? Let’s take a look at the fighters he should consider most.

Vitor Belfort

Vitor “The Phenom” Belfort deserves to be the next fighter who gets a shot at the middleweight crown, and it’s been coming for some time. However, it’s not the rematch with Anderson Silva that so many expected.

Belfort, who has been adamant on Twitter about his desire and right to fight the winner of Silva-Weidman, reiterated his stance to contend for the crown after Weidman‘s improbable victory:

English translation: Now my turn, I deserve and want my dream to come true @ ChrisWeidmanUFC more congratulations I’m the next.

The Phenom has been on a roll through the UFC and Affliction, with his only losses since 2006 coming against Dan Henderson, Silva and Jon Jones. He recently took down Luke Rockhold and elite fighter Michael Bisping, each with a crushing kick in knockout fashion.

The 36-year-old has been around, and his 23-10 record reflects more on his early-career difficulties than the fighter he is now. But when he faced Silva, he was knocked out very early with one of the most devastating kicks we’ve ever seen.

Belfort should match up better against Weidman, who utilizes a much more conventional and straight-forward approach than the mind-boggling Silva.

Look for Belfort to be one of the most talked-about names for Weidman‘s potential next opponent.

Anderson Silva

Despite what you may have heard from the fallen champ after the fight, Silva shouldn’t be discounted for a potential rematch for the crown.

The 38-year-old, battered and confused from the four-punch flurry that ended his reign, shot down the idea of a rematch before even leaving the Octagon.

But according to Dana White, UFC’s president and head honcho, there’s no scenario that is more likely than Silva-Weidman II, per the Los Angeles Times.

“I guarantee you there’s nothing more he wants than that rematch with Chris Weidman,” White said, per the Times report.

There’s no doubt that Silva has earned the right to immediately rematch Weidman for the crown. After all, he successfully defended his title 10 times and was just coming off a 17-fight winning streak before letting his guard down.

Silva made a fool out of himself by acting how he always acts, the only difference this time around being that he got carried away and his opponent jumped at the opportunity.

The Spider may not want a rematch right now, but if he’s not immediately jumping into retirement, let’s wait a bit for him to clear his mind and figure out if he wants to rematch the new champ.

Tim Kennedy

It’s far from the conventional opponent or the household name that one would expect a middleweight champion to fight, but Tim Kennedy has proven he can stand up to any task and would put up a heck of a fight.

Kennedy was on the fight card on Saturday night, dominating Roger Gracie in a decision ending for what was the 33-year-old’s UFC debut. He’s spent the latest stretch of his career as one of the top fighters in Strikeforce.

He’s 8-2 in his last 10 fights, with those losses coming against Rockhold and Ronaldo Souza, so he’s not exactly losing to unknown fighters. Perhaps the biggest win of his career was against Robbie Lawler in 2011 or Gracie on Saturday.

The U.S. Army veteran has deployed for multiple missions to Iraq and Afghanistan, which only proves he has the toughness that is so important in the Octagon.

Kennedy showed in his first appearance in a UFC Octagon that he’s well-suited to take his game wherever it needs to go. He can dominate on the ground by spinning his opponents into guard, or he can fight the entire bout on his feet while throwing jabs and hooks.

It may take some time, but Kennedy will get his chance against the best in the UFC.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

The Unsupportable Opinion: Chris Weidman Beating Anderson Silva Was the Best Thing That Could’ve Happened to the UFC

(Photo via Esther Lin of MMAFighting.)

By Matt Saccaro

You can mourn for Anderson Silva’s pristine UFC record and title run if you want — but you shouldn’t. The Spider losing to Chris Weidman was the best possible outcome at UFC 162. Even Anderson Silva himself said that Weidman winning was the ideal situation.

Hear me out before you add your voice into the chorus of angry Silva fans (and spambots) in the comments.

A relatively new UFC fighter knocking off an established “star” was an amazing development for the UFC and for MMA as a whole.

First, the inevitable rematch between now-(interim?)champ Chris Weidman and former champ Anderson Silva is going to be a massive draw. Does the UFC have a fight that can fill Cowboys Stadium? It’s impossible to tell now since the fight only happened two days ago. But what’s known for sure, is that Silva-Weidman II will be big. Possibly UFC 100 big.

UFC 100 drew an estimated 1,600,000 buys. Silva-Sonnen II—a fight where much of the fan interest came from the fact that Sonnen almost dethroned Silva—drew an estimated 925,000 buys. If Silva-Sonnen II drew approximately 300k more buys than Silva-Sonnen I, can you imagine what Silva-Weidman II will draw? Dana White projected the buy-rate for Silva-Weidman to be 800,000 buys (although, admittedly, that might be total bullshit because it’s Dana White). If Silva-Weidman II draws at least 300k more buys, it’ll be one of the few UFC PPVs to surpass the one million buys mark.

But there’s more to a rematch than just a one-off payday. Weidman being on a well-drawing PPV with Silva and then being on a potentially enormous PPV with Silva for a rematch might make the Long Island native a star at a time when the UFC is in desperate need of new ones. This isn’t a guarantee though, just a possibility. Other fighters have been on high-performing events and haven’t gone on to become superstars, just as other fighters have beaten established draws only to not become draws of equal or greater size themselves.

(Photo via Esther Lin of MMAFighting.)

By Matt Saccaro

Hear me out before you add your voice into the chorus of angry Silva fans (and spambots) in the comments.

A relatively new UFC fighter knocking off an established “star” was an amazing development for the UFC and for MMA as a whole.

Second, Weidman’s win restored life to the middleweight division. Before, the Zuffa hype machine would drum up interest in a new Guy to Beat Silva™ only for Silva to humiliate that person. This went on like clockwork (with Silva-Sonnen I being the only slight hiccup) until Weidman turned the tables. Things are different now. Will the division become a revolving door of equally-matched contenders who all hold the belt? Or will Weidman manage to fend off the top ten fighters and become dominant for years? We get to watch the answers to these questions unfold right before our eyes now. Middleweight became the most exciting division in the UFC after Silva hit the canvas.

Third, the aftermath to UFC 162 will help us determine what lies in the UFC’s future. A star faded at UFC 162. Anderson Silva was brutally knocked out. Will Weidman, his replacement, be able to draw a crowd? What happens when all the established names of the old generation are replaced by the Chris Weidmans of the sport? Will the lamps go out all over the MMA world? Or will MMA have a new Renaissance? We don’t know right now, but we can get a better idea when we see how Weidman performs on PPV and if he becomes a (inter)nationally recognized name.

Fourth, and most importantly, if Silva had won we might’ve had Roy Jones Jr. in the UFC. MMA owes Weidman a debt of gratitude for stopping this from happening.

Had the 38-year-old Silva held onto the belt for a little while longer, nothing would have come of it. Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg would trot out tired statistics and legendary records but the sport wouldn’t move. It’d be frozen in a previous era. Now, MMA is liberated. So don’t be upset. Silva lost. Weidman won. And that’s great.

Power Ranking the Stoppage Victories from Silva vs. Weidman Fight Card

There certainly wasn’t a shortage of surprises at UFC 162, with the biggest being Chris Weidman’s mind-blowing knockout win over Anderson Silva.The MMA world exploded on Saturday night after Weidman knocked off arguably the greatest fighter of all time…

There certainly wasn’t a shortage of surprises at UFC 162, with the biggest being Chris Weidman‘s mind-blowing knockout win over Anderson Silva.

The MMA world exploded on Saturday night after Weidman knocked off arguably the greatest fighter of all time and ended a near-seven-year run. For generations to come, the world will look back on this bout as one of MMA’s great upsets.

The outcome was unforeseeable to even those bold enough to pick Weidman to win the fight. There was plenty of humble pie to go around after he dropped Silva with a left hook and dived in with a right hand to finish.

Weidman wasn’t the only fighter making history on Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

A former heavyweight title contender netted the third-fastest knockout in the history of the heavyweight division. A spectacular knockout by a certain featherweight threw another monkey wrench in the UFC title picture, and at lightweight, one fighter proved he doesn’t even need punches to earn a TKO.

Let’s rank the stoppage victories from UFC 162.

Begin Slideshow