Chris Weidman: Anderson Silva Rematch At UFC 168 Is ‘Going To Be Easier’

Newly crowned UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman isn’t worried about his rematch against Anderson Silva at UFC 168 in December.

The 29-year-old, who knocked out Silva in the second round of the UFC 162 main event, said he doesn’t think the Spider is going to change his ways when they face off again. Fans have speculated that Silva will drop the antics that landed him flat on his back in July, but Weidman said that’s part of what makes him who he is as a fighter.

“He wouldn’t be so good just putting his hands up and looking like a typical Thai boxer,” Weidman told MMA Junkie. “You know what the guy is going to do more if he’s doing that. He likes to come from different angles from his hands down. Trust me, he’s not coming in like you think he’s going to be coming in.”

The prediction has been that Silva will come in angry, looking for revenge against the man who handed him his first loss in seven years. Not only that, but the first man to have ever knocked out the former champion. In his 16-year professional MMA career, Silva has only been defeated three other times — twice by submission, and once by disqualification for an illegal upkick.

“People say that he’s going to get pissed off, and it’s going to be this whole new Anderson Silva – it’s going to be easier,” Weidman said. “I’m very happy with the situation, and it’s exactly where I thought I was going to be, and it’s time to prove myself again on (December) 28, so I’m excited.”

Chris Weidman said the rematch is perfect because fans couldn’t believe that Anderson Silva lost. On the flip side, he received a lot of support from those who blamed Silva’s downfall on his own hubris.

“I think people like to see underdog win, and catch him,” Weidman said. “I feel like that point, when he’s clowning like that, there’s thousands of people wanting to punch him themselves. So for me to knock him out when he was clowning, I think it made a lot of people happy.”

Chris Weidman will defend his title against Anderson Silva at UFC 168 on December 28 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.