(This “20 Staredowns That Got Physical” video conveniently cuts off before Ricardo Mayorga flash-KO’s Din Thomas with a karate chop to the neck. Props: MMADigest)
(This “20 Staredowns That Got Physical” video conveniently cuts off before Ricardo Mayorga flash-KO’s Din Thomas with a karate chop to the neck. Props: MMADigest)
Chris Weidman has been eyeing Anderson Silva for a long time.The undefeated middleweight contender has been brimming with an unusual confidence that hasn’t struck the right chord with most MMA fans.Silva is the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world …
Chris Weidman has been eyeing Anderson Silva for a long time.
The undefeated middleweight contender has been brimming with an unusual confidence that hasn’t struck the right chord with most MMA fans.
Silva is the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world and arguably the greatest of all time. He has completely eviscerated every UFC contender to stand in his way. How does Weidman expect to be any different than all of the other fighters who fell before Silva? Where is his confidence coming from?
During an appearance on The Fight Network’s “5 Rounds” segment, Weidman talked about his dream of defeating Silva and proving all of the naysayers wrong:
One of the biggest things for me is to prove to all of those people that think I’m going to get killed or just see him as unbeatable, I can’t wait to prove them wrong. I really want to make it look easy out there. I just want to shock the world.
As fans, it’s easy to become infatuated with past bouts against opponents, but in reality, the key behind breaking down a fight lies in the style matchup.
On paper, Weidman is an incredibly difficult matchup for Silva. If there is any vulnerability in Silva’s airtight game, it would have to be his wrestling. ChaelSonnen has already proven this on a pair of occasions by effortlessly putting Silva on his back multiple times.
Of course, Silva always found a way to win. He may not be the best wrestler in MMA, but his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu skills more than make up for whatever he lacks in the takedown department.
On the other hand, Weidman is also a high-level Jiu-Jitsu guy. With only one year of training, he made it all the way to the finals of the 2009 ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship, where he was defeated in double overtime by world-renowned BJJ star André Galvão.
The mere thought of someone with only a year of experience competing at the highest level and nearly defeating a world class BJJ artist is unfathomable.
Weidman made his professional MMA debut in February 2009, and even then, he felt like he could defeat Silva:
I’m a huge fan of [Anderson Silva]. Since I got into the sport, 3 and a half or four years ago, he was the champion, and I decided to go to 185, and right away I’d tell people I was fighting at 185, and people would be like ‘Is that Anderson Silva’s weight class?’ I’d be like, ‘Yeah,’ and they’re like, ‘Better choose a new weight class buddy.’
That just fueled me, since then till now. Even then I knew I could beat him. I just knew that I was a bad matchup for him. I just knew I had the potential to beat him, and I had that mindset four years ago, and it’s even stronger now.
Chris Weidman has been eyeing Anderson Silva for a long time.The undefeated middleweight contender has been brimming with an unusual confidence that hasn’t struck the right chord with most MMA fans.Silva is the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world …
Chris Weidman has been eyeing Anderson Silva for a long time.
The undefeated middleweight contender has been brimming with an unusual confidence that hasn’t struck the right chord with most MMA fans.
Silva is the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world and arguably the greatest of all time. He has completely eviscerated every UFC contender to stand in his way. How does Weidman expect to be any different than all of the other fighters who fell before Silva? Where is his confidence coming from?
During an appearance on The Fight Network’s “5 Rounds” segment, Weidman talked about his dream of defeating Silva and proving all of the naysayers wrong:
One of the biggest things for me is to prove to all of those people that think I’m going to get killed or just see him as unbeatable, I can’t wait to prove them wrong. I really want to make it look easy out there. I just want to shock the world.
As fans, it’s easy to become infatuated with past bouts against opponents, but in reality, the key behind breaking down a fight lies in the style matchup.
On paper, Weidman is an incredibly difficult matchup for Silva. If there is any vulnerability in Silva’s airtight game, it would have to be his wrestling. ChaelSonnen has already proven this on a pair of occasions by effortlessly putting Silva on his back multiple times.
Of course, Silva always found a way to win. He may not be the best wrestler in MMA, but his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu skills more than make up for whatever he lacks in the takedown department.
On the other hand, Weidman is also a high-level Jiu-Jitsu guy. With only one year of training, he made it all the way to the finals of the 2009 ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship, where he was defeated in double overtime by world-renowned BJJ star André Galvão.
The mere thought of someone with only a year of experience competing at the highest level and nearly defeating a world class BJJ artist is unfathomable.
Weidman made his professional MMA debut in February 2009, and even then, he felt like he could defeat Silva:
I’m a huge fan of [Anderson Silva]. Since I got into the sport, 3 and a half or four years ago, he was the champion, and I decided to go to 185, and right away I’d tell people I was fighting at 185, and people would be like ‘Is that Anderson Silva’s weight class?’ I’d be like, ‘Yeah,’ and they’re like, ‘Better choose a new weight class buddy.’
That just fueled me, since then till now. Even then I knew I could beat him. I just knew that I was a bad matchup for him. I just knew I had the potential to beat him, and I had that mindset four years ago, and it’s even stronger now.
On July 6 at UFC 162, we will see Chris Weidman try to take Anderson Silva’s middleweight title. It will be almost a year to the date since “The All-American” called out the champ after a thorough domination of Mark Munoz&m…
On July 6 at UFC 162, we will see Chris Weidman try to take Anderson Silva’s middleweight title. It will be almost a year to the date since “The All-American” called out the champ after a thorough domination of Mark Munoz—who was his toughest opponent to date.
As much as Weidman wanted that shot, Silva and his camp were reluctant to agree to the fight. Silva in one interview told Karyn Bryant, “It’s good for him, not for me.”
Silva crushed Stephan Bonnar at UFC 152 in a non-title fight at 205 pounds, while Weidman was set to face Tim Boetsch at UFC 155. That would change as Weidman suffered a shoulder injury and was forced out of action. He had to watch the middleweight division change shape around him without his impact.
Sometimes things happen for a reason, and to that end this matchup seems to be the case. The other top contenders lost. Michael Bisping lost to Vitor Belfort, Hector Lombard lost to Yushin Okami and Tim Boetsch lost to Constantinos Philippou.
After that shuffle of the deck and with no superfight between Silva and Georges St-Pierre on the horizon, Weidman was the only logical choice for both matchup reasons and selling pay-per-view buys.
Now let’s talk about the matchup. As I mentioned earlier, Weidman will “try” to take Silva’s middleweight strap. Many in the past have just shown up for a fight with the “The Spider” and didn’t exactly display due diligence inside the Octagon.
I will tell you why Weidman will get after it. He will not only give forth a great effort but will succeed in doing so and become the next UFC middleweight champion.
Here are three reasons to believe Chris Weidman will have Anderson Silva’s number.
Age and wear haven’t deterred the soon-to-be 38-year-old Anderson Silva from thrashing every opponent in his path in the UFC’s middleweight and light heavyweight divisions. Always cerebral in his approach to training and evolving, Silva&nbs…
Age and wear haven’t deterred the soon-to-be 38-year-old Anderson Silva from thrashing every opponent in his path in the UFC’s middleweight and light heavyweight divisions.
Always cerebral in his approach to training and evolving, Silva has taken all the proper measures to optimize his potential and his career longevity.
Since his impressive debut in 2006—in which he mauled Chris Leben at Ultimate Fight Night 5—“The Spider” has reeled off 15 consecutive wins, including 11 in middleweight title bouts.
Silva’s has also garnered a record-tying (Joe Lauzon) 12 post-fight bonuses in that span, proving that he’s just as entertaining as he is talented.
The Spider’s thorough dominance at his natural weight class (185 pounds) has the UFC’s brass and many pundits demanding that he consider superfights with the likes of welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre or light heavyweight king Jon Jones.
With one of his most prolific draws approaching the age of 40, UFC president Dana White jumped at the chance of re-signing The Spider to a massive deal after UFC 155 (via MMA Weekly):
“He signed a 10-fight deal. I don’t think we’ve ever done a 10-fight deal,” White said after UFC 155. “Maybe we did one with Forrest once, I don’t remember, but Anderson said, ‘I want a 10-fight deal, not an eight-fight deal.’ I’ll give him a 100-fight deal if he wants one.”
Silva, however, can’t lose sight of the nature of the demise of legends like FedorEmelianenko and Chuck Liddell, who reigned supreme over their respective divisions for years before eventually sputtering with age.
Both Emelianenko, a former Pride heavyweight champ, and Liddell, a former UFC light heavyweight champ, were on top of their games when their jaws gave out.
On a recent episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, White offered his thoughts on the future of one of the most coveted fighters in MMA history.
“God I hope this guy fights 10 more times. I hope it’s possible. You know, it’s like when I saw this (Adrien) Broner kid and like when you see somebody that’s special. The guys that really got something really special. Anderson Silva is just f***ing unbelievable.”
Despite the fact that Bodog.net has deemed Silva a 3.05-to-1 favorite (-305) for UFC 162, The Spider’s opponent, Chris Weidman, represents one of the stiffest challenges he’ll face in his prolific career.
Akin to former NCAA Division I wrestling All-American ChaelSonnen, who employed a grinding, wrestle-heavy style that nearly worked to dethrone Silva at UFC 117, the 28-year-old Weidman possesses top-flight wrestling chops, brute strength and a motor to match.
A third-place finisher at the 2007 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, Weidman’s also a capable striker and a venomous Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner who’s won twice by submission and once by KO in just five UFC bouts.
There’s no hungrier, more versatile or more suited foe dwelling at 185 for The Spider to lock horns with. If he trounces Weidman like he has his last 16 opponents in the UFC, Silva will leave his critics with little to write about and UFC matchmakers with few opponents to line him up with.
Let’s face it, if Silva upends Weidman like the oddsmakers expect him to, then The Spider will enjoy another long period of time in the limelight before being pitted against St-Pierre or Jones in a superfight.
(Fortunately, Michael Jackson was able to shake his “hard-partying ladies man” image. / Check out even more WTF-worthy celebrity photos at WorldWideInterweb)
(Fortunately, Michael Jackson was able to shake his “hard-partying ladies man” image. / Check out even more WTF-worthy celebrity photos at WorldWideInterweb)
Age and wear haven’t deterred the soon-to-be 38-year-old 