Chris Weidman

By Michael Hatamoto

UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva faces No. 1 contender Chris Weidman at UFC 162 in Las Vegas on July 6, in what could be a thrilling fight for MMA fans.

I expect to see Silva testing Weidman’s fairly unknown chin, and Weidman will try to expose Silva’s wrestling takedown defense. I don’t know what type of striking defense Weidman has worked on during camp, but Silva has the ability to mix in accurate punches, strong elbows, and potent knees from the clinch.

Weidman can say whatever he likes during interviews, but I find it difficult to believe he won’t look to shoot in for takedowns. Even if the fight hits the mat, I think Silva has a good enough BJJ submission background to avoid submission attempts from Weidman.

I don’t know if Silva will be able to retire from the UFC without losing a fight for the No. 1 MMA promotion, but I don’t think Weidman will be the man to beat him. No disrespect to Weidman, but beating Demian Maia and Mark Munoz, while impressive for such a short pro MMA career, still is nowhere near the same level that Silva is on – and we might get to see where the 29-year-old American really stands.

I expect Silva to win by KO or TKO sometime during the fight, but Weidman should make it competitive while looking for takedowns. I hope Weidman is able to land ground and pound and look for submissions, as Silva looks to attack off his back.

Check back at Full Contact Fighter for lead up to UFC 162 and post-fight analysis of the middleweight championship fight and the rest of the fight card.