Regardless of his credentials, Chris Weidman entered the UFC Middleweight Championship mix as Anderson Silva’s lowest-profile challenger since Thales Leites.<\/p>\n
With only a dominant win over Mark Munoz, a decision win over Demian Maia and potential to sell him, UFC nonetheless had to establish Chris Weidman as a serious threat to Anderson Silva in order to turn UFC 162, its annual July 4 weekend show, into a pay-per-view blockbuster.<\/p>\n
In striving towards that objective, it received significant help from its roster of fighters, which strongly supported Weidman as the truest threat to Silva’s belt. Whether that sales job clicked with audiences remains to be seen, but Weidman’s irrefutable fitness to beat Silva was the official story ahead of Saturday’s event.<\/p>\n
And that story proved true.<\/p>\n
After getting off to a strong initial start with a takedown, Chris Weidman made a tactical error in going for a pair of leg submissions (a kneebar and then a heel hook). Silva used the attempt as an excuse to get back to his feet, and from there, he began toying with Weidman the way he did so many other UFC Middleweight challengers.<\/p>\n
Silva dropped his hands and verbally encouraged Weidman to take the free shot. Knowing that Silva’s taunts were part of a strategic mental game, Weidman attempted to keep composed, but ego is ego, and Weidman occasionally tried to connect with a strike, generally looking too slow and too foolish in the process.<\/p>\n
Silva kept up the same act in round two, but it ultimately–and undoubtedly legendarily–backfired. As Silva’s taunts became more dramatic, going as far as to fake pain after Weidman’s punch attempts, Weidman became more and more driven to connect, and he finally did in a big way.<\/p>\n
Embarrassing Silva, whose cocky strategy finally cost him the belt, Weidman crushed the champion with a flush left to the chin before following up with more shots on the ground. The ref waved it off, and Chris Weidman was the new champion.<\/p>\n
Whether Weidman could have beaten a defensive Silva remains to be seen, but he was absolutely ready to beat Anderson Silva, the jokester. And he absolutely did so.<\/p>\n
Mike Pierce b. David Mitchell via TKO (punches) at 2:55 of Round Two
\nBrian Melancon b. Seth Baczynski via KO (punches) at 4:59 of Round One
\nEdson Barboza b. Rafaello Oliveira via TKO (leg kicks) at 1:44 of Round Two
\nGabriel Gonzaga b. Dave Herman via KO (punches) at :17 of Round One
\nNorman Parke b. Kazuki Tokudome\tvia UD (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
\nAndrew Craig b. Chris Leben via SD (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)<\/p>\n
Cub Swanson b. Dennis Siver via TKO (punches) at 2:24 of Round Three
\nMark Munoz b. Tim Boetsch via UD (30-26, 30-27, 29-28)
\nTim Kennedy b. Roger Gracie via UD (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
\nFrankie Edgar b. Charles Oliveira via UD (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)
\nChris Weidman b. Anderson Silva via KO (punches) at 1:18 of Round Two<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[7,8],"tags":[176,187,459,463],"adace-sponsor":[],"yoast_head":"\n