UFC 162 Results: Anderson Silva Smart to Avoid Rematch with Chris Weidman

After losing his middleweight title at UFC 162, Anderson Silva told UFC's Joe Rogan on the live broadcast that he will not challenge Chris Weidman to a rematch. That was the best decision "The Spider" made during the entire pay-per-view.

The former middleweight champion decided to focus more on provoking Weidman with taunts than winning. He dropped his arms multiple times, dared Weidman to punch him in the jaw and never got much offense going as he mocked his opponent.

In a potential rematch, one has to think that Silva would take the bout more seriously than he did at UFC 162. That being said, there's no reason for that bout to happen, and The Spider realizes that.

Silva is 38 years old, and one has to wonder how many more years he's going to continue to step into the Octagon. Without the middleweight title, Silva can step out of the spotlight a bit. He can take a break from fighting, then come back and participate in less high-profile bouts.

Before the loss to Weidman, The Spider hadn't lost in seven years and defended his title successfully 10 times over. He has a 33-5 career record and is tied for the third most wins in UFC history with 16.

At the post-match press conference, Silva told the media, per The Los Angeles Times:

"

People are going to say he got lucky or I underestimated him. But he’s the champion...I’m thinking of going home, and then thinking of what I’m going to do after that in three or four months. There’s a lot of pressure in defending the title. I want to take some time.

"

UFC president Dana White started the press conference by saying he "guaranteed" The Spider wanted a rematch with Weidman despite the former champ saying otherwise after the match. White later said he respected Silva's decision to take some time off.

As great as it is to hold the title and be in the limelight, it's obvious Silva wants some time away. Considering his efforts at UFC 162 and his words after the pay-per-view, that is his best option.

If a rematch happened, Silva would have just as good a chance to win as Weidman.

Sure, the new champion dominated on July 6, but that had a lot to do with The Spider's childish game plan. There would likely be much less taunting and more aggressive strikes from Silva.

It's not that Silva should avoid the rematch because he would lose that fight but rather because his heart wouldn't be in it. It's clear The Spider wants his time off, and given his legacy in MMA, he's earned that if he wants it.