UFC 162: Anderson Silva vs. Chris Weidman


When the greatest fighter in UFC history, undefeated in the Octagon, takes on Chris Weidman, he carries the weight not only of defending a championship, but of an amazing winning streak that may never be duplicated.
In Chris Weidman, the sublime middleweight champion Anderson Silva faces a more well-rounded version of the man who almost beat him, Chael Sonnen.  Where Silva tapped Sonnen to a triangle armbar, Weidman's Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu skills garner respect from black belt practitioners.  Where Silva withstood six rounds total of Sonnen's ground and pound, Weidman's power crushed middleweight tough guy Mark Munoz.  Where Sonnen controlled Silva with his outstanding wrestling, Weidman's MMA wrestling might even be better.

And then there is the 38 year old Silva- when does Father Time tap him out?  Any fighter could make his entire career off being the first one to stop Silva's 16 fight winning streak in the Octagon.  Then you have a rising star like Weidman asking many fans if the Spider's reign ends Saturday night.

Three things to keep in mind- one is Weidman's year-long lay-off from fighting.  Rust is a bad thing to bring into a fight where you could be finished in every conceivable way at any conceivable moment.  Secondly, the sublime striking of Anderson.  If Weidman can't get the fight to the ground (where he would still face Silva's dangerous submissions), his rudimentary boxing skills will betray him on the feet.  Finally, Anderson's experience.  With all the dangers Silva has faced during his undefeated tenure, it's doubtful Weidman can do anything to him he hasn't experienced already.  The question remains, however unfair considering his last three fights, how much greatness does Anderson have left?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

UFC 160: Five Friday Questions

Image
1.  CAN SILVA AVOID THE GROUND? In their last meeting, Bigfoot Silva threw a low kick, Cain Velasquez quickly caught the kick, took Silva to the ground and dominated him from there.  Since that time, Silva admitted he made a mistake in his approach with Cain, but does that mean he won't throw kicks?  Is he practicing his takedown defense?  Cain is not only the fastest heavyweight but also the best wrestler, Cormier notwithstanding.  On his feet, Cain has been wobbled and his only loss came when Junior Dos Santos caught him in a stand-up exchange.  Silva might also hope to gas him out like he did with Alistair Overeem before he put him away, but Cain also possesses the best cardio in the division.  Still, anything is better than fighting Cain on the ground. 2.  WILL JUNIOR DOS SANTOS TAKE THE FIGHT TO THE GROUND? Dos Santos can outbox pretty much anyone in his division but any fighter who tries to stand with Hunt may land a few successfully, ...
Read more

UFC 159: Jones vs. Sonnen

Why bother, it seems, with Jon "Bones" Jones holding an edge over Chael Sonnen in every conceivable area the fight could rumble through. Striking?  Only Lyoto Machida, master of accuracy and speed, has come close to outstriking him and that was in the first round. Submissions?  Jones has submitted the last two BJJ black belts he's faced. Physicals?  Jones has the longest reach in any division and is the second tallest light heavyweight. Wrestling?  That just so happens to be Chael's biggest strength.  And Jones's. So what happens when Chael tries to pressure Jones with takedowns?  He'll need to threaten Jones with his own strikes to open up an opportunity for a takedown, but if he dares tread there he'll face Jones's UFC-best reach, elbows, oblique kicks and side kicks.  Clinch and you enter the elbow zone.  Kick and you find yourself on your back and again in the dreaded elbow zone.  A Sonnen victory would be a bigger upset than Ma...
Read more

UFC 160: Velasquez vs. Silva 2

Image
Heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez walked through Antonio Silva like a paper finish line when they first fought one year ago.  Velasquez took Silva down early in the fight and finished him on the ground,  taking almost zero damage.  Coming into this fight we can only wonder if anything will change. Since their last meeting, Silva plastered both Travis Browne and heavily-favored former K-1 champ Alistair Overeem on their feet.  Neither of them threatened to take him to the ground, whereas the heavyweight champion wields the best MMA wrestling in his division and drags everyone down into his domain.  In reclaiming his throne, the constant threat of takedowns and actual attempts rattled former champion and boxing wunderkind Junior Dos Santos to the point it was Velasquez who landed the most significant strikes.  Silva must defend those takedowns or try to catch him much in the way Junior Dos Santos did in handing Velasquez his first loss. While Silva's...
Read more