Anderson Silva did not fight Chris Weidman, he fought himself. We witnessed a masterful performance of martial skill and an ego that got out of control. Weidman took Silva down right away. Silva worked back up and basically said “I got this.” He made the jump from being in a fight to toying with a child in the sport. The problem is that Weidman wasn’t prepared to declare Silva his daddy just yet.
Anderson Silva displayed little things that absolutely blew my mind. Once he got up from the 1st takedown, he demonstrated an understanding of distance and timing beyond anyone else I can see in the UFC. He put a hand on a hip and nudged his way out of a takedown attempt. He moved an inch or 2 to neutralize Weidman’s power. The Spider technically and psychologically dominated Weidman until the fatal blow to his reign as champ.
Lots of beers were spilled by armchair coaches who just knew Weidman would do it! Stop being stupid and actually watch what happened. Love him or hate him, Anderson Silva is most likely the most complete martial artist and most dominant champ in MMA history. I actually am not a fan of the total package that is Anderson Silva but I have to respect his accomplishments and ability. So, all of you that have said he sucks and will lose to a good wrestler – please stop. It is bad enough that you criticize a man that is living the dream while you wish your life was different. Silva is not good, he is great but he is also human and lost due to human weakness known as Pride.
What caused the KO? It was Silva moving just enough, to then being reckless and not moving his feet at all. He got dropped by an average left hook. Why would the king be beheaded by this softball of a punch? He got caught with all his weight on his heels and nowhere for the power to be distributed but thru his head. Heels, hips, and shoulders stretched to the max when Weidman’s paw popped him. Lights out, and the king is dead.
Anderson Silva makes fighting look easy in the most sophisticated and complex ways possible. Last night he forgot that he is a technician and started to believe he was invincible in the face of a young challenger. As it has been said before by people much smarter than me “Pride comes before the fall”, and fall he surely did.
Will we see a motivated and focused Anderson Silva in a rematch? I hope so. His legacy should not end with this mistake. Can Anderson Silva return to as a hungry challenger or did Weidman take away his fighting spirit? Some champs never recover from the reality check that a KO comes with. GSP came back a better man. Mohamed Ali defined his career by taking beatings then coming back. Then there is a bully like Mike Tyson, who couldn’t deal with fighters that didn’t cave when faced with the idea of Iron Mike alone. When a bully like Mike got pushed back, he bit ears or quit.
Is Anderson Silva a true champ who can take his licking then come back and be the man again? Or is he a bully that won’t want to play anymore because somebody else is in his sandbox claiming to be the man? True Champions take a beating and come back stronger. Hopefully Silva is the G.O.A.T. and he can put his feet back on the ground with the crown on his head.
As for Weidman, hope Silva retires and make as much money off of this you can right now. If Silva is gunning for a rematch, you may be eating pasta with Matt Serra this time next year, wondering what happened to your career? The UFC is famous for killing the killers. Not many get the chance to be struck by lighting twice.
Back to the grind – Brian Wright