UFC 162: Silva vs Anderson
On July 6th, 2013, Chris Weidman marched towards the Octagon in the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, to face the biggest test of his career, that of Anderson Silva. This true living mixed martial arts legend, and middleweight champion, was unstoppable at the time. Yet on this night, the impossible took place.
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From the very first exchanges, Silva, as usual, played his opponent, making a mockery of Weidman. Weidman was unable to touch the Brazilian, but he was not overwhelmed. A cautious first round ended with a confident Anderson Silva.
The second round began as the first ended, with Anderson Silva literally asking his opponent to fight seriously. Pretending to be hit, Silva ended up paying for it with Weidman's left hook, which was strategically placed on his chin. The legend fell for the first time, to the cheers of the raucous crowd.
This feat will, therefore, remain forever engraved as one of the greatest surprises in the history of mixed martial arts. No one gave Chris Weidman a chance, yet he became the first to knock out Anderson Silva, winning the middleweight champion's belt in the process.
A look back on the experience
Recently asked by StatSports about this unforgettable moment, Chris Weidman looked back on one of the best performances of his career to date:
To become a world champion, to defeat Anderson Silva, to accomplish my goal in one night, it was a super surreal feeling. I finally did it. It was like a dream come true. I knew I was going to beat him. I knew he didn’t have what it takes to beat me. It was meant to be. I was on a quest. I was going to beat him, beat him twice and nobody was going to stop me. To knock him out, a guy who never been knocked out, never been beat, it was a crazy experience
The All-American
Several years after becoming a legend, Chris Weidman is no longer at the top of his game. Having struggled in his last few outings in the Octagon, many would like to see him hang up his gloves. On a dismal streak of 5 defeats in his last 6 fights, Weidman doesn't seem ready to retire yet. He made this point after his last KO loss to Dominick Reyes:
Definitely continuing to fight, that’s not in question at all… I’ve been through hell, I’ve had 23 surgeries, but I feel good right now, I know that sounds crazy… I feel like I’m still capable of some big things
