After taking out two top 10 fighters, UFC Middleweight Chris Weidman is finally scheduled to challenge for the 185 lb. title. Anderson Silva held out on signing the fight contract to face “The All American” for a few months, but finally relented and they’re scheduled to fight as the main event of UFC 162.
Weidman has gained a lot of notoriety by proclaiming himself as the man to finally end Silva’s incredible 16-fight UFC win streak. At Friday’s Fan Q&A preceding the UFC 159 weigh-ins, Weidman gave his thoughts on what it’s like heading into a fight with the P4P best:
I think the best thing that Anderson Silva does is mentally destroy people before they even get in the cage with him. Then once you get in the cage with him, he does a great job of making you feel like, “Yo, you do not belong in the cage with me. You’re terrible, I’m the man. You’re gonna find a way out of this fight.” I think the biggest thing is that I’m very confident. I know my skillset, I’ve seen what Chael (Sonnen) has done to him, I’ve seen his weaknesses and I think I can expose him again and look for a finish or a good performance. You just got be confident. You can say anything you want before the fight, but it’s all bout before you touch those gloves, do you still have that confidence? I’m gonna make sure I do.
He also commented on what he believes sets him apart from Silva’s previous challengers:
On paper I’m a nightmare matchup for Anderson. You know, on paper you can’t deny it. I definitely have better wrestling and I definitely believe I have proven I have better jiu jitsu. I think I have the cardio the athleticism…I think there’s a lot of stuff that’s siding with me on this fight.
Check out the full video of the Q&A for all of Weidman’s thoughts leading up to the biggest fight of his career, as well as many other topics. He and Silva will meet in Las Vegas, NV on July 7 at UFC 162.