C. Weidman (photo) believes he would beat A. Silva in a rematch. Photo: Josh Hedges/UFC
The mental factor was preponderant in winning the UFC middleweight belt. At least that's the opinion of Chris Weidman, new champion of the category, who won Anderson Silva at UFC 162 – last Saturday (6). In an interview with the “MMA Hour” podcast, the American highlighted the fact that he was not shaken by his opponent's provocations.
“I felt in control. He (Anderson) was doing all that, but in my mind I was just laughing. I was like, 'Man, I'm winning the fight. I'm punching you right now and you're standing there with your hands on your hips. You can do this all day if you want.' There came a time when I thought, 'I'm going to get in his face and put my hands on him.' And that’s what I did,” Weidman said.
The North American also praised Anderson Silva, but showed confidence in a new victory if the two meet again in a rematch. “I think he's still unbelievable and the greatest of all time. And I think I would beat him again”, revealed the new champion, who was the first athlete to knock out Spider in 15 years.
Another subject discussed by Weidman was the theory raised that Anderson had given away the fight. “I'm not here to change other people's opinions, but I'll say one thing: he didn't give me the belt, he didn't give me the fight. It wasn't like that at all. He was doing exactly what he does in every fight. He had his hands down, trying to mentally beat me, making me feel like I didn't deserve to be in the octagon with him. I didn't want to let him do that. I wanted to put him in his place, and that’s it,” he concluded.
Chris Weidman knocked out Anderson Silva in the second round of the main fight of UFC 162, last Saturday (6), in Las Vegas (USA). With the triumph, Weidman maintained his unbeaten record and now has ten victories in ten fights as a professional.
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