A week after Anderson Silva lost his UFC middleweight crown in brutal fashion to undefeated upstart Chris Weidman, “The Spider” posted a video simply stating “I back.” Since then fans of the sport — and especially Silva — have been beside themselves awaiting for the rematch they’ve desperately craved since July.
This Saturday night both combatants will meet again and six months of questions will finally be answered in the cage. Let’s take a closer look at UFC 168’s anticipated main event.
Anderson Silva (33-5)
You know the drill. Matrix-like reflexes. Blinding counters. One shot power. Serpentine submissions.
Silva is the greatest mixed martial artist we’ve ever seen, even with his recent loss to Weidman.
Many bewildering thoughts came to mind after Silva went down but the most common and resounding of them all was the obvious “how could that have happened?”. To the naked eye it seemed like Silva got too cocky and got his clock cleaned but in actuality Silva has always kept his hands down against his opponents. Especially the ones with excellent wrestling.
Silva has been able to maintain a career with his hands down because of his amazing ability to counter as he gets into your head. It also helps him stuff the takedowns easily because his arms are already in position to push his opponent away from him. Weidman has an amazing wrestling-submission game but what Silva and many fans failed to realize is that the man has extremely tight boxing skills. Silva may have paid the ultimate price by “clowning” his opponent but this is what he’s always done. This is what has made him Anderson Silva.
We don’t expect Silva to change much of anything going into Saturday’s rematch. He may show a new respect for his opponent by keeping a larger distance between him and the champion when he decides to keep his hands low but aside from that he must simply be himself to win. Counter when it’s there and avoid being on your back as often as possible. It would also benefit Silva if this fight ends early. A five round war with a high caliber wrestler like Weidman would probably end in disaster for Silva.
Chris Weidman (10-0)
After he shocked the world in July, Weidman reminded us that anything is possible especially in this sport. However, you cannot attribute his win to sheer luck. This man is a special fighter.
A NCAA division I pedigree, top shelf BJJ, the hands that knocked out the ultimate legend of the sport, Weidman is a complete fighter. His game continues to evolve at a rapid pace and the fact that he puts everything together so well makes it seem like he could hold this title for a longtime. His first defense on Saturday night may be the most important fight in UFC Middleweight history.
In order to retain his title, Weidman must continue where he left off in the first round in July. He must take Silva down to the mat and control the action. The more time on the ground benefits him greatly as he can tire his opponent out with his world class wrestling and look to either sink a submission in or bring it back on the feet to search for another KO. Silva is very dangerous off of his back but it seemed in the first bout that Weidman was the superior fighter on the ground.
It wouldn’t be wise for Weidman to play the same game twice with a striker the likes of Silva because you know the former champion will be looking to make a statement. If Weidman comes in with the same confidence and a higher sense of poise he may very well walk out of Las Vegas with the title over his shoulder once again.
The Bottom Line
According to Bodog, Silva (-170) is the slight favorite against the champion Weidman (+140) and rightfully so. Silva had the longest title reign in UFC history and this is only Weidman’s 11th professional fight so it makes perfect sense odds-makers would see it that way but there are a few questions you must ask yourself.
– Has Silva fully recovered from his devastating loss in July?
– Will he be uncharacteristically aggressive as he seeks revenge?
– Has he regained his legendary focus?
There are far more questions aimed at Silva than Weidman and on Saturday night we’ll have all of them answered.
Who are you picking?
Zachary Hutton is the lead boxing writer and an MMA contributor for CraveOnline Sports. You can see what he’s up to at his band’s website myunclethewolf.com or also subscribe on Facebook.
