UFC 162 - Silva vs. Weidman - The aftermath

Amidst mixed cries of shock, celebration and conspiracy, when the dust settled there was all but one certainty – Chris Weidman had become the new UFC middleweight champion.

In an upset for the ages, Weidman knocked out Anderson ‘The Spider’ Silva in the second round of their middleweight title fight at UFC 162. Silva had held the title since 2006 for a total of six years, eight months and 22 days.

Weidman got off to a good start in the first stanza with a takedown and some ground-and-pound, followed by aggressive leg submission attempts.

When Silva returned to his feet, he began the familiar process of taunting and baiting his opponent. He held his hands low, danced, dodged and dared Weidman to hit him.

What had worked against many an opponent failed during this go-around, as Weidman caught Silva flush with a left hook as the defending champ was leaning back. Some shots on the ground sealed the deal as referee Herb Dean stepped in.

As fans, what we’re left with now are a whole lot of questions and uncertainties about what happened and what will happen. Here is one fan’s take on Sunday’s events.

What exactly happened?
Simply put, Silva’s showboating and Matrix-like evading had served him well against opponent’s whose skill he didn’t respect, e.g. Maia, Griffin, Bonnar etc. He underestimated Weidman’s skill and paid the price.

Was it a fix?
I think Dana White described the conspiracy theory best when he said, “That is the stupidest f–king thing I’ve ever heard in my life.” It makes no sense from any rational perspective. Besides, there are easier ways to lose than having your head bounce off the canvas.

Was it a case of Weidman winning or Silva losing?
While it was Silva’s cockiness that led to his downfall, Weidman deserves all the credit in the world for dethroning the champ and pound-for-pound king. Silva is an expert at moving with the direction of a punch to take away its power (more commonly known as rolling with punches). His ability to anticipate a combination is second to none.

Weidman’s unorthodox right hand-right backfist combination caused Silva to misjudge his timing while he was off-balance, which left him open to the left hook. In short, to simply attribute this victory to Silva being lackadaisical is an insult to Weidman’s skills. To the victor go the spoils.

Will there be a rematch?
During the post-fight interview, Silva stated that his time with the belt was done and that there would be no rematch, though he would honour the remaining 10 fights on his contract. On the other hand, Weidman is willing to give the former champ a return bout. Only time will tell what Silva’s next move will be, which leads to the next question.

If he’s done fighting for the belt, what will Silva do next?
This was perhaps the most perplexing and intriguing question that was left hanging after the fight. My best guess is that at this point in his career, Silva has grown weary of the pressures of defending a belt. I think he would be content with one-off matches at different weight classes. Perhaps his proposed superfights with GSP and Jon Jones are still possibilities.

Are the superfights with GSP/Jones still marketable at this point?
In an ironic twist, UFC co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta once tweeted that boxing should’ve struck “while the iron was hot” on the Pacquiao – Mayweather superfight.

Now it seems that the same problem has befallen MMA. Given the way that Silva lost, I do think that the superfights have lost a bit of lustre. However, that’s not to say that they wouldn’t still be entertaining, sold-out spectacles. Chuck Liddell – Wanderlei Silva still managed to sell tickets, right?

If not a rematch with Silva, who is in line as Weidman’s first title defence?
It seems that the new champion’s crowning has opened up a Pandora’s box of willing challengers. Number one contender Vitor Belfort has attempted to start a Twitter campaign (#NOREMATCH) for a title shot. Michael Bisping also tweeted similar sentiments. For now, it’s up to Dana White and his cohorts to decide what’s next. Personally, I think they’ll do their best to sway Anderson into a rematch.

What can we learn from all this?
The same thing we learned when we watched Matt Serra knock out GSP, or when Gabriel Gonzaga pulled a Crocop on Crocop, and more recently when “Bigfoot” Silva knocked out Alistair Overeem – never underestimate your opponent.

In the fighting game, you are always just a split second away from defeat. A submission or knockout can come in the blink of an eye. Regardless if one considers it to be a “lucky” victory or not, a loss is still a loss. It bears repeating – never underestimate your opponent.