Silva vs. Weidman Results: 3 Reasons for a Rematch
At UFC 162, Chris Weidman reminded the world that no one is invincible, not even the great Anderson Silva.
With only nine professional bouts under his belt, Weidman shocked the world by knocking out Silva and ending the iconic middleweight reign.
Silva, who tends to fight with his hands down, finally paid for his playful antics on Saturday night. There was no Matrix-like bobbing and weaving against Weidman, who put the champ's lights out with a left hook followed by a right hand on the ground at 1:18 of the second round.
The initial thought process heading into this fight was that Silva would receive an automatic rematch if he lost to Weidman. Unfortunately, Silva's post-fight interview put any hopes of an immediate rematch in doubt.
When speaking with UFC commentator Joe Rogan after the fight, Silva didn't act like a fighter who had just lost a world title. He sounded more like a man who just had the weight of the world lifted from his shoulders:
""No [rematch]. Chris is the champion now. All the people tonight need to respect Chris, Chris is the best. That's it, I've finished my working. I no fight more for the belt. I change my life now because I worked hard for a long time. I've had the belt for a long time. I'm tired. I'll relax now and go back to my family."
"
With all of the super fight talk finally dead in the water, the second bout between Weidman and Silva has become the next must-see fight in the UFC.
Here are three reasons for a rematch.
There Isn’t a More Deserving Contender than Anderson Silva
1 of 3Nearly seven years ago, Silva defeated UFC legend Rich Franklin to win the middleweight title. His reign over the UFC's 185-pound division was nearing a decade, which is unfathomable for a champion in any sport.
There has never been a fighter like Anderson Silva, and there will never be a fighter like Anderson Silva.
All of his accolades and accomplishments will live on for generations to come, and people will constantly look back at him as arguably the greatest fighter of all time.
Who's going to tell a guy like that to get back at the end of the line and work your way back to a title shot?
Fans won't be lining up to see Weidman take on Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza, Vitor Belfort, Michael Bisping or a horde of other contenders. As great as Weidman has proved to be, it's going to take a rematch to truly convince fans that Silva is no longer the best middleweight in the world.
Fans Want Closure
2 of 3Whether you're a Silva fan or not, you have to admit it was pretty embarrassing the way he went out.
Losing to Chael Sonnen would have been a far more gratifying swan song than what happened on Saturday night.
Silva appeared to be more interested in making a fool of Weidman than implementing a tactful game plan to win the fight. All of the laughing and giggling between punches were over the top and completely unnecessary.
There was no laughing or joking when Silva embarrassed Forrest Griffin with the snake-like bobbing and weaving. He looked more like an assassin focused on the task at hand, which was eliminating Griffin as quickly as possible.
Surely, Silva wouldn't play reckless mind games with Weidman in a rematch. Let's keep our fingers crossed.
Marquee Fight and Really, What Else Is Silva Going to Do?
3 of 3Ed Soares, Silva's trainer, told Cage Fanatic that Weidman wasn't a big enough name for the Silva fight.
Well, Mr. Soares, is he a big enough name now?
White, who is both UFC President and an incredible businessman, did a tremendous job of defending Silva from relentless reporters and protecting the potential rematch.
Immediately after a loss, it's tough to get logical answers from athletes. There are still so many emotions flowing after being defeated in such a devastating fashion. White made sure the rematch remained at the focal point of the questions, and he also backed Silva on taking time off to spend with his family.
Leading up to the fight, the growing support for Weidman helped turn a decent fight card into arguably the best card of the year so far. Imagine what kind of numbers a rematch would draw, especially with Silva returning as a challenger.
After the fight, Silva told Rogan he still intends to fulfill his 10-fight contract. It's tough imagining any fighter completely moving on after losing the way Silva did on Saturday night.
When you really think about it, it's downright ludicrous. Silva may not want anything to do with the middleweight title anymore, but you have to think he still wants another crack at Weidman.





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