Tag: UFC 162

Chris Weidman deserved better in the immediate aftermath of his upset of Anderson Silva. Most of the focus was on the former middleweight champion and his antics. The new champ was overshadowed despite earning the biggest win of his career.

Over time, more appreciation should develop for Weidman‘s victory as the initial shock of Silva’s first UFC loss fades away. But the 29-year-old American has a lot of work to do in order to capitalize on the marquee triumph.

Nobody knows what would have happened if Silva would have focused more on fighting and less on showboating, but Weidman didn’t engage in the mental battle. He remained keyed in on taking the long-time champion down, and did exactly that.

Even after the fight, the New York native was forced to talk about how his opponent acted instead of his road to the belt. Brett Okamoto of ESPN passed along comments in which the undefeated rising star talked about the borderline bizarre fight.

“Anderson Silva has won a lot of his fights because of what he did [tonight],” Weidman said. “He knows exactly what he’s doing. I capitalized on it. A lot of other guys couldn’t. I’m not trying to take that away from myself.”

Once the storm passes, the real work will begin for Weidman. The second-round knockout is just the beginning. The unheralded challenger turned champion must now work even harder to establish himself as one of the sport’s biggest stars.

Since UFC isn’t as popular as mainstream sports like the NFL or NBA, it’s tougher for individuals to stand out on a large scale. Silva was able to do it because of his extended title reign, but Weidman still has a lot of work to do to come anywhere close to that level.

First and foremost, it starts with backing up the victory.

Since there are so many questions about Silva’s showing, Weidman will be forced to prove he’s a worthy champion. Whether it comes in a rematch, which the ESPN report says doesn’t interest Silva, or against a new opponent, he must back up the win.

The other aspect is promotion. Weidman‘s biggest victories before Saturday night came against the likes of Demian Maia and Mark Munoz. So he entered the bout as a fighter with potential, but still a relative unknown compared to the mainstream champion.

That changed once the fight was stopped. Now his image is being plastered everywhere as outlets pick up on the loss of Silva and people start learning about the new champ. He must build on that newfound stardom to eventually become one of those select superstars.

In the end, the debate will probably rage on about whether Weidman won the fight or Silva lost it with his antics. It doesn’t matter. A new champion was crowned. Now he must take that momentum and use it to keep moving forward, proving he belongs as one of UFC’s top-tier fighters.

Beating Silva was a terrific start to the process, but there’s plenty of work left to do.

 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

The unthinkable has transpired, as Chris Weidman knocked out Anderson Silva to win the UFC middleweight championship. While Weidman may have every right to celebrate this monumental feat, there’s one thing that we cannot deny.

Silva simply didn’t look as if he were bringing a full effort.

Before we move forward, it’s important to note the historical nature of the feat Weidman has just achieved. Not only has Weidman become middleweight champion, but Silva has also been nothing short of brilliant leading up to this fight.

There’s a legitimate case to be made that Silva is the best UFC fighter of all time.

Unfortunately, we just didn’t see this fighter against Weidman.

From start to finish, Silva appeared to be more inclined to taunt than attempt landing strikes. From his endless trash talk to his consistent willingness to drop his gloves and dare his assignment to hit him harder, we saw it all.

In the end, it was just one taunt too many.

 

Effortless Defense

This isn’t the first time Anderson Silva’s in-ring effort has been criticized, as he’s been known to taunt opponents. While his world-class ability permits him to do just about anything in the Octagon, there comes a time when a fighter needs to focus.

During his match against Chris Weidman, Silva lost that eye-on-the-prize mentality.

Silva was toying with Weidman, taking blow after blow, specifically to his eyes and jaw. When Weidman geared back and flashed his power, however, Silva could barely remain on his own two feet.

Just like that, arrogance cost Silva his title.

Had Spider been emotionally and mentally invested in the fight, we may not be having this conversation. Unfortunately, we’ll never know what could’ve been, as Silva decided to taunt and ridicule, lacking the slightest form of focus on the prize at hand.

Not only did that cost Silva, but it also forced some to question his superstar legitimacy—don’t ponder for too long, as it genuinely doesn’t make sense.

 

Recent Examples

When it comes to Anderson Silva’s fights, his ability to escape with his back against the wall puts any opponent he faces in trouble. With that being said, there are recent fights that have taught us just how close one can come to defeating Silva.

Just ask Chael Sonnen.

Sonnen took Silva to the brink during their first fight, dominating until the Brazilian caught him with a triangle armbar in the fifth round. Roughly two years later, Silva again appeared to be disengaged, and Sonnen capitalized by dominating the first round.

Sonnen proceeded to lay a brutal beatdown in the second round and quiet the critics.

This time around, Silva simply didn’t have an escape route that he was able to follow. Instead, his showmanship and arrogance in the Octagon ended up being his undoing.

We can’t help but wonder—what would this fight have looked like if Silva gave 100 percent?

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com