Early in his run with the UFC, Chris Weidman was tagged as a future champion. In December 2013, Weidman, who was 9-0 during a career which included five wins under the UFC banner, got his opportunity to fight for the 185-pound title. Opposite him that night, in a bout that served as the main event of UFC 162, was the man who had held the title for more than seven years, Anderson Silva.
The hype behind Weidman focused on his NCAA wrestling credentials and his grappling skills. A two-time All American wrestler at Hofstra University, Weidman had been praised for his strong takedown game and high-pressure grappling. His style was similar but more advanced and more lethal than that of Chael Sonnen’s, a fighter who had nearly ended Silva’s reign in 2010.
As for Silva, at the time he was considered perhaps the greatest fighter in the sport. He had a way of absorbing information early in a fight and coming up with a game plan that was second to none.
The odds favored the champion, but they were far from lopsided. Silva was a -295 favorite over Weidman, who was a +180 underdog.
Weidman had success early with a strong takedown, but he was unable to do much damage on the ground. When the fight returned to the feet, Silva seemed to have processed as much information as he needed and began clowning Weidman. The champion laughed off Weidman’s strikes and waved him into striking range. Through the taunts, Weidman remained focused, throwing out his jab, but he did not attempt a second takedown.
Before the second stanza began, Silva looked across the cage and seemed to implore Weidman to engage him in a striking battle.
Silva continued his antics in the second stanza, but he could not fluster or deter Weidman. And then with 90 seconds expired in the round, the challenger caught Silva with his hands at his sides and turned out the champion’s lights with a left.
As Silva was tended to by the cageside staff, UFC commentator Joe Rogan said, “You can’t play games in the octagon. You can’t get cocky, even if you’re Anderson Silva.”
Weidman defended the title three times before losing to Luke Rockhold via TKO at UFC 194 in December 2015. His record since that loss is 1-2 and he has not fought since he submitted Kelvin Gastelum in July 2017. Weidman meets Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza in the co-main event of UFC 230, which takes place on Nov. 3 from Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Before that scrap takes place, watch Weidman’s knockout win over Silva.
