Last night, at the UFC 162 card coming to us from Las Vegas, underdog Chris Wiedman broke through and took the UFC Middleweight Championship from long time, legendary champion Anderson Silva. Though Silva has been a dominant champion who many call the greatest of all-time, many people predicted a Weidman win prior to the bout, and the lines at the sportbooks were the closest lines in years for a Silva fight. Weidman took the opening round from Silva, getting him to the ground and scoring with ground and pound while staying safe from several submission attempts, and threatening with a couple leg locks of his own. When Silva got back to his feet and tried to use his typical taunting and showboating tactic, Weidman stayed composed and did not fall into getting frustrated. In round 2, that composure paid off, as he landed a big shot that sent Silva’s more than half decade long title reign into history. Silva was undone largely by his own arrogance, though age may have a bit to do with it as well. The fact is that Silva has played a dangerous game throughout his career, counting on his ability to evade danger with his athleticism. It is dangerous because he has to stay safe until his offense takes his opponent out, all the while risking punishment or that one big KO punch. In the post fight press conferences, Silva was glum and showed an aversion to a rematch. This is a great thing for the Middleweight weight class as Weidman now faces a log jam of talent that had built up behind Silva. If Weidman is healthy, which he should be, the UFC should be looking to get him back into the ring as soon as possible The fact is that Wediman is still a veteran of just 10 MMA fights and a long layoff and making the public wait to see him again is counterproductive to both Weidman and the UFC. So get him into a title defense ASAP. Screaming to be first in line for a shot at the title will likely be Vitor Belfort, who no one wanted to see in a rematch with Silva. Now Belfort, who has been doing some of his best fighting recently is definitely a viable candidate. The match would give Weidman another legendary scalp to feast on, and Belfort, as a Brazilian, could play the patriotic revenge angle. Of course the caveat to this fight would be where it takes place. Given Belfort’s history with steroids, TRT, and the public assertion that he wouldn’t be granted a TUE by Nevada, the UFC would have to go somewhere else. The September matchup between long time contender Yushin Okami and Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza will in all likelihood lead to the next contender after Belfort, however should the Belfort match not get signed, the Okami-Souza match will certainly get the nod. If Anderson Silva changes his mind about a rematch, he will certainly get the bout because he has earned it, however that would only prolong the inevitable. Silva has made enough money that he should retire and ride off into the sunset, leaving the Middleweight division wide open again.
