UFC 162 will feature the stiffest challenge to Anderson Silva’s title reign when Chris Weidman steps up to take on the greatest champion in UFC history.Also in action will be Frankie Edgar. The former UFC lightweight champion and featherweight contende…
UFC 162 will feature the stiffest challenge to Anderson Silva‘s title reign when Chris Weidman steps up to take on the greatest champion in UFC history.
Also in action will be Frankie Edgar. The former UFC lightweight champion and featherweight contender will try to rebound after three consecutive losses in title fights when he meets Charles Oliveira in the co-main event. Tim Kennedy and Roger Gracie make their organizational debuts as well.
Bleacher Report will have live reactions for each and every fight of the evening.
The first fight is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET on Facebook. Stay tuned for live coverage of UFC 162.
Weigh-In Results
Anderson Silva (184 lbs) vs. Chris Weidman (185 lbs) Frankie Edgar (146 lbs) vs. Charles Oliveira (144 lbs) Tim Kennedy (186 lbs) vs. Roger Gracie (186 lbs) Mark Munoz (185 lbs) vs. Tim Boetsch (186 lbs) Cub Swanson (144 lbs) vs. Dennis Siver (145 lbs) Chris Leben (186 lbs) vs. Andrew Craig (186 lbs) Norman Parke (156 lbs) vs. KazukiTokudome (155 lbs) Gabriel Gonzaga (262 lbs) vs. Dave Herman (242 lbs) EdsonBarboza (155 lbs) vs. Rafaello Oliveira (155 lbs) Seth Baczynski (170 lbs) vs. Brian Melancon (170 lbs) Mike Pierce (171 lbs) vs. David Mitchell (171 lbs)
Win, lose or draw, Anderson Silva will go home from his next fight at UFC 162 a rather happy man, at least financially. On Friday, Bleacher Report received the reported salary information for the main event and co-main event fighters for the upcoming U…
Win, lose or draw, Anderson Silva will go home from his next fight at UFC 162 a rather happy man, at least financially.
On Friday, Bleacher Report received the reported salary information for the main event and co-main event fighters for the upcoming UFC 162 card from the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
According to the report, UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva will make $600,000 for his show money, and if he wins, he will pocket an additional $200,000.
Silva just recently renegotiated a new 10-fight deal with the UFC that is obviously paying him substantially higher than his last contract.
When Silva fought ChaelSonnen in the main event of UFC 148 in July 2012, the Brazilian took home $200,000 with no win bonus for his performance.Silva did fight one more time in 2012 at UFC 153, but the card was in Brazil and no salary information was released for that show.
Now with his new fight deal in place, Silva stands to make almost a million dollars should he beat Weidman on Saturday, and he will likely take home an even larger paycheck based on pay-per-view bonuses he receives that are not disclosed publicly.
As for Silva’s opponent, Weidman will pocket $24,000 for his show money at UFC 162 with a chance to win an additional $24,000 if he wins.
In the co-main event of the evening, former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar will take home $120,000 for his show money, and if he wins, he will get an additional $120,000.
His opponent, Charles Oliveira, will get paid $21,000 for his show money and $21,000 if he pulls the upset and beats Edgar on Saturday night.
Now, the payouts reported by the commission are only what is listed as contractual salaries on the bout agreements signed by the fighters and the promotion. Any additional bonuses paid out, such as discretionary locker-room bonuses paid by the UFC or the aforementioned pay-per-view bonuses, are not disclosed.
The full list of the UFC 162 salaries will be released by the Nevada State Athletic Commission next week, most likely on Monday following the event.
Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report
This Saturday, July 6, at UFC 162, middleweight champion and pound-for-pound deity Anderson Silva will look to build on his legend by stopping up-and-comer Chris Weidman in his tracks. The title fight will headline a deep card consisting of 11 total co…
This Saturday, July 6, at UFC 162, middleweight champion and pound-for-pound deity Anderson Silva will look to build on his legend by stopping up-and-comer Chris Weidman in his tracks. The title fight will headline a deep card consisting of 11 total contests.
On the whole, UFC 162 is very deep. From fight No. 1 to fight No. 11, the action looks to be competitive, and it seems that there are several finishes just waiting to happen.
Highlighting the night’s complementary action is a featherweight tussle between former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar and Charles Oliveira. Edgar will be looking for his first win in four outings while Oliveira will attempt to finally grasp a signature victory inside the Octagon.
Also of tremendous importance is a pair of middleweight bouts between Mark Munoz and Tim Boetschand Strikeforce imports Tim Kennedy and Roger Gracie.
With so many promising pairings and one of the most exciting main events of 2013, UFC 162 is not an event you’ll want to miss.
Luckily, Bleacher Report has got you covered with a guide to all of Saturday night’s happenings.
Facebook Prelims
UFC 162 gets started with a couple of welterweight bouts. The social network is usually reserved for the promotion’s lesser-known talent, but this Saturday, it will host some noteworthy and highly regarded stock.
Fights on the Facebook portion of UFC 162 include:
Seth Baczynski vs. Brian Melancon
Mike Pierce vs. Davis Mitchell
The Facebook prelims are scheduled to begin at 7:05 p.m. ET.
FX Prelims
The second portion of Saturday’s action will air on FX and will feature four fights. In Canada, you can catch the action by tuning to Sportsnet 360.
Fights on the FX portion of UFC 162 include:
Chris Leben vs. Andrew Craig
Norman Parke vs. KazukiTokudome
Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Dave Herman
EdsonBarboza vs. Rafaello Oliveira
The FX prelims will get underway at 8 p.m. ET.
UFC 162 Main Card
The pay-per-view component of the event consists of the promotion’s standard five-pack, which features three middleweight bouts and a pair of featherweight contests. The night’s main attraction is one of the year’s most anticipated showdowns.
Fights on the UFC 162 main card include:
Anderson Silva vs. Chris Weidman (middleweight title fight)
Frankie Edgar vs. Charles Oliveira
Roger Gracie vs. Tim Kennedy
Tim Boetsch vs. Mark Munoz
Dennis Siver vs. Cub Swanson
The Start time for the UFC 162 main card is 10 p.m. ET.
Now that you know when and where to catch this weekend’s UFC action, don’t forget to check in with us at Bleacher Report for coverage of the event, including live results and post-fight analysis.
It’s safe to say UFC middleweight contender Vitor Belfort was near a computer this week because he certainly saw the comments from UFC president Dana White about his chances of getting another shot at Anderson Silva.Belfort was knocked out by Silva at …
It’s safe to say UFC middleweight contender VitorBelfort was near a computer this week because he certainly saw the comments from UFC president Dana White about his chances of getting another shot at Anderson Silva.
Belfort was knocked out by Silva at UFC 126 in one of the most spectacular finishes in MMA history.
Since that loss, Belfort has racked up a 4-1 record, with his only loss coming to UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones in a fight he took on short notice. His other four fights have all been finishes inside the first two rounds.
So when White was asked about Belfort receiving another shot at Silva on Thursday, the UFC president didn’t seem too enthusiastic about the idea, and he believes that the long-reigning champion would have similar thoughts on the rematch.
“I’m not saying that Vitor couldn’t get the next shot, or couldn’t get a shot soon, but if you’re Anderson Silva, you’re looking for another challenge,” White said on Thursday. “It would be a hard argument. You could make a better argument that Dan Henderson should get the next shot. Yeah, he hasn’t looked impressively and he hasn’t won, but (Anderson) didn’t beat him as bad as he did Vitor.”
Needless to say, Belfort was not happy at all to read those comments.
So on Friday, Belforttook to Twitter with a rather long message in response to the claim that Silva would not likely be interested in a rematch with him, nor would the UFC push for it much based on White’s comments.
Belfort first took aim at the idea that his knockout loss to Silva was any different than the recent heavyweight fights that took place between Cain Velasquez and Junior Dos Santos.
It’s incredible how it seems as though Silva is the one picking his opponents. Think about this: Cain got knocked out in a devastating loss to Cigano, and after one fight he gets another title shot. Then after being massacred by Velasquez for 5 rounds, now Cigano gets another chance for the title. In order for a rematch to take place, the champion must accept a challenge. Both Cigano and Velasquez accepted. But I, on the other hand, crushed all the contenders that were put in front of me, and it seems that I have earned nothing, not even the respect I deserve for all I have done for the sport. My spot is the highest of any division contender in the UFC, and it is only logical and fair for me to be given a shot at the title.
Belfort scoffed at the idea that just because Silva knocked him out means that he can’t ever get a chance to earn a victory back against the reigning middleweight champion.
Why is it that I don’t have a title shot? Just because one time, Anderson happened to land a kick?! I can assure you that given a second chance, that would never happen again. I have proven myself over and over.
Belfort also reacted to the idea of Silva being involved in superfights that have been teased for years. White has stated on several occasions that if Silva is victorious in his bout on Saturday against Chris Weidman, then they may soon start looking at putting together fights against either UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre or light heavyweight champ Jon Jones.
There is even the opening to do a superfight with former boxing champion Roy Jones Jr., who will be in attendance at UFC 162. None of the names mentioned, however, were Belfort‘s, and he’s not happy about it one bit.
It seems that Anderson wants to go on and do super fights or whatever. How can he think of doing a super fight right now when he has a contender of my caliber waiting to compete for the belt. I have no problem with super fights, as long as they don’t tie up the belt from other great contenders who deserve a chance to accomplish the greatest moments of their career. Nobody should be able to strip me of the dreams that God gave me and that I have worked so hard to achieve! It doesn’t matter who is the champion or how many title defenses they have, they should fight who is the number 1 contender in the sport, and that person is me! I really can’t understand any reason why Anderson would refuse to fight me, unless he was scared that the result would be different this time.
Belfort then took aim at the current contender who will face Silva on Saturday night in the main event. The bout will pit Chris Weidman—a fighter with five total fights in the UFC—against Silva with the middleweight title on the line.
Belfort believes his track record speaks for itself, not to mention the list of contenders he’s knocked off lately, including former Strikeforce champion Luke Rockhold and top-five middleweight Michael Bisping.
Mind you, I have no personal beef against Anderson or any other fighter. I’m just talking about every fighter’s dream to win the belt – to fight for the world championship! That’s what this business is all about. If Chris Weidman can get a title shot just by defeating Munoz, imagine how much I deserve this after devastating everyone they put in front of me, not to mention all that I have contributed to the history of the sport. I deserve more respect for what I have done, am still doing, and am about to do.
Belfort also took great exception to the mention of Dan Henderson as a possible opponent for Silva ahead of him. Silva dispatched of Henderson as well, but it took until the second round to do so, whereas he knocked out Belfort in the first round of their fight in a fairly one-sided affair.
“Come on – they even say that it makes more sense for Silva to fight Hendo??? What a joke!” Belfort stated.
His hope remains that if Silva is victorious on Saturday night, the UFC will come to its senses and offer him a shot at the title again. For his part, Silva has never really said much about Belfort getting a rematch, although the question has rarely come up since his win over him in 2011.
After Belfort‘s latest Twitter rant, it’s safe to say that should Silva win at UFC 162, the question will come up now.
I trust that if Anderson keeps the belt on Saturday night or if Chris Weidman wins, they will accept the challenge to fight me next, because I earned the spot. Dana White, MAKE IT HAPPEN!
Belfort will obviously be a very interested viewer to see what happens on Saturday night. It remains to be seen if his impassioned plea will make a difference to White or Silva if he wins at UFC 162.
Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and all quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
(Please enjoy this Roy Jones Jr. boxing highlight video. And then, please remember that all those fights happened a very long time ago, in a very different sport than MMA)
Sadly, we may be closer than ever to an Anderson Silva vs. Roy Jones Jr. fight. On Thursday, Dana White told MMA Junkie that the former boxing pound for pound champ is coming to UFC 162 this Saturday in Vegas to discuss fighting Anderson Silva in the UFC.
Yahoo! Sports’ Kevin Iole also confirmed with Jones Jr. that he is meeting with White to discuss fighting “The Spider” under MMA rules in the UFC. Jones Jr., of course, is a future hall of fame boxer that is at least ten years out of his prime.
For years, Jones Jr. looked unbeatable but over the past ten years he has lost seven times in fifteen outings, four of those losses coming by way of ugly KO or TKO. The forty four year-old needs to give up fighting of any kind for the good of his health.
Jones Jr. has been so far gone for so long that, even in 2009 when Silva was vocal about wanting to box him, it seemed like a dangerous proposition for the former Olympian. Add a half decade and MMA rules into the mix and a Silva vs. Roy Jr. fight sounds almost masochistic.
For whatever reason, thogh, Anderson Silva has kept Jones Jr.’s name in his mouth for years, now. Often times it looked as if he used the threat of boxing Roy as a bargaining chip with the UFC but this is the first time that White has seemed at all open to the idea of his middleweight champ fighting Jones Jr. and they are talking about doing it in MMA.
As we all know, if White wants to put together a sham boxing vs. MMA bout in the UFC, he can get it done. We’re not sure what Silva or White think they will accomplish by trotting out yet another sadly brain-bruised former boxing champion to the Octagon and having a UFC legend beat them with ease, but it now appears that this “super fight” might be the only one we’re getting with Silva anytime soon.
Then again, this is far from the first time Jones Jr. or Silva have campaigned for this fight. Heck, it isn’t even the first time Jones Jr. has said he’d go to a UFC event to watch Silva in person and try to make a bout happen. Despite all that, the fight has never happened.
Let’s hope it still won’t. Ultimately, we can’t blame promoters for being promoters and fighters for being fighters.
How can Dana White ignore two huge names saying they want to fight each other and make him a lot of money? How can we fault fighters like Roy for wanting to fight, even when they are far removed from their prime?
Ultimately, it will be the responsibility of any and all athletic commissions to not allow this fight or any like it to happen.
(Please enjoy this Roy Jones Jr. boxing highlight video. And then, please remember that all those fights happened a very long time ago, in a very different sport than MMA)
Sadly, we may be closer than ever to an Anderson Silva vs. Roy Jones Jr. fight. On Thursday, Dana White told MMA Junkie that the former boxing pound for pound champ is coming to UFC 162 this Saturday in Vegas to discuss fighting Anderson Silva in the UFC.
Yahoo! Sports’ Kevin Iole also confirmed with Jones Jr. that he is meeting with White to discuss fighting “The Spider” under MMA rules in the UFC. Jones Jr., of course, is a future hall of fame boxer that is at least ten years out of his prime.
For years, Jones Jr. looked unbeatable but over the past ten years he has lost seven times in fifteen outings, four of those losses coming by way of ugly KO or TKO. The forty four year-old needs to give up fighting of any kind for the good of his health.
Jones Jr. has been so far gone for so long that, even in 2009 when Silva was vocal about wanting to box him, it seemed like a dangerous proposition for the former Olympian. Add a half decade and MMA rules into the mix and a Silva vs. Roy Jr. fight sounds almost masochistic.
For whatever reason, thogh, Anderson Silva has kept Jones Jr.’s name in his mouth for years, now. Often times it looked as if he used the threat of boxing Roy as a bargaining chip with the UFC but this is the first time that White has seemed at all open to the idea of his middleweight champ fighting Jones Jr. and they are talking about doing it in MMA.
As we all know, if White wants to put together a sham boxing vs. MMA bout in the UFC, he can get it done. We’re not sure what Silva or White think they will accomplish by trotting out yet another sadly brain-bruised former boxing champion to the Octagon and having a UFC legend beat them with ease, but it now appears that this “super fight” might be the only one we’re getting with Silva anytime soon.
Then again, this is far from the first time Jones Jr. or Silva have campaigned for this fight. Heck, it isn’t even the first time Jones Jr. has said he’d go to a UFC event to watch Silva in person and try to make a bout happen. Despite all that, the fight has never happened.
Let’s hope it still won’t. Ultimately, we can’t blame promoters for being promoters and fighters for being fighters.
How can Dana White ignore two huge names saying they want to fight each other and make him a lot of money? How can we fault fighters like Roy for wanting to fight, even when they are far removed from their prime?
Ultimately, it will be the responsibility of any and all athletic commissions to not allow this fight or any like it to happen. Allowing a former boxing champion who is in his mid forties and who has spent the last decade getting pummeled to continue to box is itself embarrassing to the commissions that continue to sanction Jones Jr. To allow him to also take on perhaps the best mixed martial arts fighter in history, while he is still in his apparent prime, in the boxer’s first ever MMA bout would be unconscionable.
We can’t imagine any real commission, like those of Nevada, New Jersey or California sanctioning an Anderson Silva vs. Roy Jones Jr. MMA bout. Well, we hope not.
James Toney was sanctioned to fight Randy Couture, after all.
If Silva wants to make the big super-fight money that he’s surely earned, either he needs to bite the bullet and take on Jon Jones or Georges St. Pierre needs to suck it up and fight Anderson.
When Anderson Silva steps in the cage this weekend against Chris Weidman, he will look to keep his seven-year title reign intact. Though a Weidman win would hardly be the most shocking in the history of UFC championship fights, it would be an improbabl…
When Anderson Silva steps in the cage this weekend against Chris Weidman, he will look to keep his seven-year title reign intact. Though a Weidman win would hardly be the most shocking in the history of UFC championship fights, it would be an improbable one, considering Silva is (probably) the greatest fighter in the history of the sport.
But Weidman wouldn’t be the first to pick up an unlikely win against a dominant fighter and champion.
Other champions have set foot in the cage with the odds in their favor, only to witness the belt change hands at the end of the night. So here are the top five most improbable title wins in UFC history.
Note: This list will include only upsets which occurred during the Zuffa era, meaning Maurice Smith defeating Mark Coleman is out of the picture.
It’s safe to say UFC middleweight contender