Those who refused to buy Anderson Silva’s post-fight claim that he had no interest in a Middleweight Championship rematch will be rewarded for their cynicism. UFC President Dana White announced Saturday that Silva will get a chance to redeem himself against Chris Weidman on December 28.
Rather than risking the shadow of a Super Bowl weekend booking, as had first been expected, UFC opted to put the second Chris Weidman vs. Anderson Silva fight at the top of its year-end UFC 168 card. The title rematch between UFC Womens’ Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate, once set to headline the show, will move to the co-main-event position.
Chris Weidman shocked the mixed martial arts world by knocking out seemingly-invincible UFC Middleweight Champion Andersno Silva in the second round of last week’s fight. Interest in a rematch would have been significant no matter what, but given that it was Silva’s showboating that opened the door for Weidman’s knockout blow, the rematch can be marketed with a special story: what would have happened had Silva taken his opposition more seriously?