UFC 168 has drawn to a close in a not so comfortable fashion. Chris Weidman, in his first title defense, has stood triumphant again knocking out one of MMA history's greatest fighter Anderson Silva.
A lot, including me, were hoping for the former champion to regain his belt and throne as the top fighter of the middleweight division and best P4P fighter in the world. Going into the first round of the fight, Weidman was quick on the offensive taking Silva down and whamming him with strong punch and elbows. That first round was like the first round of Silva and Sonnen's first clash.
Silva was able to hold on until the end of the round but he needed to quickly regain his composure. The Anderson Silva that we saw fighting Weidman earlier wasn't the same Silva that we were familiar of. In the Octagon, Weidman felt like the big man and Silva the underdog.
Round two stayed grounded for both fighters, that is until Silva went on the offensive using his effective leg kicks. Weidman just kept his guard up quickly responding to Silva's kicks. A few seconds after the one minute mark we see both men standing strong until Silva threw in the kick that might haunt him for the rest of his career. The crowd had just calmed down from the previous round and no one was expecting anything to happen so soon going into the second round. After Silva's leg kick, instead of Weidman falling to the mat it's the one who threw the kick that fell down. Referee Herb Dean suddenly called out the fight and Weidman had his hands raised while still looking as surprised as we were.
Chris Weidman didn't even went on to the offensive. He was standing still and he checked Silva's kick. Silva falls down, the champion successfully retains the title. Everything happened in a flash and I'm still in disbelief.
It's like a bad dream altogether. Silva knocked out twice in a row and he was screaming in agony the second time around. After all that had happened to Silva one might ask is this the end for the Spider?
That leg injury will take months to recover and years to redevelop. Even if the 38 year old fighter finds the strength to return, will he still be the fighter that we once knew?
Perhaps now all doubt about Chris Weidman's ability as an MMA fighter has been dispelled. It was still a disappointment, however, that this clash ended on a such a low note. Sure Weidman proved himself with his excellent timing and adamantium-clad bones but the people were expecting an epic match that will take it all out from both fighters. In the end, it was almost as if Silva contributed to his own defeat. Now with Anderson Silva out of the picture, what's next for the reigning Middleweight champion?
A lot, including me, were hoping for the former champion to regain his belt and throne as the top fighter of the middleweight division and best P4P fighter in the world. Going into the first round of the fight, Weidman was quick on the offensive taking Silva down and whamming him with strong punch and elbows. That first round was like the first round of Silva and Sonnen's first clash.
Silva was able to hold on until the end of the round but he needed to quickly regain his composure. The Anderson Silva that we saw fighting Weidman earlier wasn't the same Silva that we were familiar of. In the Octagon, Weidman felt like the big man and Silva the underdog.
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| photo from: http://mmajunkie.com/2013/12/photo-the-moment-anderson-silva-breaks-his-leg-at-ufc-168-warning-graphic/ |
Chris Weidman didn't even went on to the offensive. He was standing still and he checked Silva's kick. Silva falls down, the champion successfully retains the title. Everything happened in a flash and I'm still in disbelief.
It's like a bad dream altogether. Silva knocked out twice in a row and he was screaming in agony the second time around. After all that had happened to Silva one might ask is this the end for the Spider?
That leg injury will take months to recover and years to redevelop. Even if the 38 year old fighter finds the strength to return, will he still be the fighter that we once knew?
Perhaps now all doubt about Chris Weidman's ability as an MMA fighter has been dispelled. It was still a disappointment, however, that this clash ended on a such a low note. Sure Weidman proved himself with his excellent timing and adamantium-clad bones but the people were expecting an epic match that will take it all out from both fighters. In the end, it was almost as if Silva contributed to his own defeat. Now with Anderson Silva out of the picture, what's next for the reigning Middleweight champion?
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