At UFC 175, middleweight champion Chris Weidman will enter a new phase of his career. A post-Anderson Silva phase.
“It’s bittersweet, because Anderson is a big part of my legacy. I wanted to beat him for so long,” Weidman told The Post. “Those [two] fights were a big part of my life, but it’s time to start a different chapter of my career now. It’s time to start taking other guys out in my weight class.”
For a year and a half, all Weidman heard about was Silva. First, it was leading up to his title shot at UFC 162. Media and fans questioned whether he was ready to take on Silva, a dazzling, seemingly unstoppable champion.
After the Long Islander did the unthinkable by knocking out Silva, the chatter was renewed for their rematch at UFC 168: Was his first win a fluke?
Safe to say it wasn’t: Weidman defeated Silva for a second time — Silva gruesomely shattered his leg on Weidman’s shin on a kick attempt — to solidify his place as the new divisional kingpin.
Now that Silva is in Weidman’s rearview mirror, a new challenger emerges in Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida as Weidman adopts a new role: defending champion.
“Machida’s very hungry, he wants that belt, and he’s been working really hard for his title shot,” Weidman said of his July 5 title defense at UFC 175 in Las Vegas. “He had a championship belt once before, and once you’ve held the belt, you’ve had that taste of greatness, you know? He’s hungry to taste it again.”
Like Silva, Machida is an enigmatic Brazilian striker with a title pedigree. Machida is a former champion at light heavyweight. Ever since dropping to 185 pounds, Machida has looked unstoppable, knocking out Mark Munoz with a brutal headkick and out-pointing former Strikeforce champion Gegard Moussasi.
“Machida’s gonna be ready to go,” Weidman said. “And I’ve got to take his will to win away from him.”