A. Silva (left) in a knockout suffered by C. Weidman (right), in 2013. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram @chrisweidman
Responsible for ending the hegemony of Anderson Silva in the UFC, in 2013, Chris Weidman is forever etched in the memory of MMA fans. Almost seven years after the two meetings with 'Spider', the North American rules out the possibility of facing the Brazilian for the third time.
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“I don't see how that would be interesting. I completely dominated him every second of every round we played before I won. So, I have no interest in facing a guy that I was able to dominate twice,” said Chris in an interview with 'Media Day' for the UFC Las Vegas 6, with the participation of SUPER FIGHTS.
Anderson x Weidman: first meeting
At the time, undisputed middleweight champion (up to 83,9kg.), Anderson Silva was scheduled to face the then undefeated Chris Weidman in what would be his 11th belt defense.
Before facing Weidman, Anderson had put on a real show at UFC 151, when he agreed to move up to light heavyweight (up to 93kg) to face the iconic Stephan bonnar and save the card that had lost its main fight. 'Spider' put on a show and further consolidated himself as the biggest UFC name of that generation.
Seven months later, the nightmare. At the fateful UFC 162, Silva performed as usual. With a lot of movement and trying to lure his rival into making a mistake, but, in a moment of carelessness, the Brazilian ended up being hit by a cross to the chin, which led to a knockout at the beginning of the second round. One of the greatest reigns in the history of mixed martial arts ended there.
Immediate revenge and tragedy
Even with the setback, Anderson's morale in Ultimate remained unshaken. The Brazilian received an immediate rematch and, five months later, at UFC 168, he was once again sharing the octagon with the North American.
In the second confrontation, 'Spider' appeared to be more focused. More seriously, the athlete tried to intimidate his opponent with specific blows. After a busy first round, the world ended up watching the agony of a legend live.
The second round of that confrontation went down in sporting history as a tragedy. When throwing a low kick, defended by Weidman, Anderson ended up breaking his leg in a shocking scene. The Brazilian immediately fell to the ground and screamed in pain. This gave the North American victory by technical knockout.
Athletes today
Anderson, today, is 45 years old and is still active. Considered by many to be the best fighter of all time, Silva has two more fights left on his UFC contract and has already stated that he intends to fulfill the agreement. Recently, 'Spider' is recovering from knee surgery and has been insisting on a fight against Anthony Pettis in married weight.
At 36, Chris is currently experiencing the worst moment of his sporting career. Without a win since July 2017, the former middleweight champion is on a run of five defeats in his last six fights. The athlete performs this Saturday (8), at UFC Las Vegas 6, and face Omari Akhmedov in the co-main event of the night.
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