Silva vs. Weidman: Spider's Downfall Begins New Chapter for UFC

Anderson "The Spider" Silva and Chris Weidman took the stage at UFC 162 for what was pegged as the fight of the summer, and by the time both fighters left the Octagon, the fight world knew that the sport would never be the same.

Years and years of reigns by some of the martial artists who defined the sport have come to an end. That much was proven the second Silva's rattled jaw hit the floor of the MGM Grand Garden Arena by way of a brutal hook by Weidman.

It was a thrilling fight card throughout Saturday night, with a handful of heavy-hitting affairs led by wins from Tim Kennedy and Frankie Edgar. Leading up to the main event, the public was gearing up for Silva-Weidman to trump the lofty expectations.

That was far from the case. In fact, Silva proved that from the opening bell, refusing to take part in the sportsmanlike gesture of slapping hands before the first round. 

Silva continued his lollygagging approach and mockery through the first round, seeming to give absolutely no effort in landing punches on Weidman or even making the slightest attack. He suffered from it early on, as the American took down the champion and tested him closely throughout Round 1.

Constantly with his hands down and not protecting himself in the least, The Spider refused to play defense as Weidman always approached with his hands up and throwing punches. 

From the opening bell, you couldn't tell the 38-year-old Brazilian fighter was nothing close to a champion. 

Weidman's persistent approach combined with Silva's slacking ended with the inevitable: a big blow to the champion.

The 29-year-old now aims to defend the UFC middleweight title after striking Silva with a menacing left hook that he never saw coming, and put the champion to the canvas with another flurry of punches to seal the deal.

Silva's record 10 career title defenses have come to an end in a run that truly defined the sport. A fighter who has been pegged by many as the greatest UFC fighter of all time went from the undisputed king to a blip on the radar in a matter of about 10 minutes in the Octagon late Saturday night.

The Spider has long been among the faces of the UFC with Chuck Liddell, Tito Ortiz and others. But with all three of those fighters nearing 40 and Silva being the most recent champion, his downfall is nothing short of telling.

UFC is heading into a new age, led by more parity than ever and more fighters who can compete with the world's best. That's simply a testament to how popular the sport has become across the entire world.

No longer are the days when one fighter could make his claim as the UFC's greatest. That title is now vacant, with Silva losing his crown in embarrassing fashion on Saturday.

Now, fighters like Weidman, Kennedy, Edgar, Chael Sonnen, Jon Jones and dozens of others will begin the process of replacing one of the greatest fighters to ever enter the Octagon.