I’m still reeling from what we saw on Saturday night. Anderson Silva, knocked out by Chris Weidman? Typing those words still makes me a little upset to my stomach. I get it though, we are all human, Ali and Tyson went out on losses, and on and on. Look at Fedor. But that doesn’t make what we saw any easier to stomach. Simply put: Anderson clowned far too much and he got put in his place because of it. And now, Weidman’s coach and mentor, Renzo Gracie, is coming out and saying that Weidman was fading, and Anderson pretty much blew it.
Damn.
Way to stick the knife in and twist, Renzo.
This kid [Weidman] is very dangerous, he was always very dangerous. Every time he fights, he wins. Early in the bout, when Chris was in control, he did everything he wanted, but couldn’t win, so Anderson gained great confidence. He thought it would be a walk in the park and then he began to play. And the boy [Weidman] really was fading, he was tired because he did everything (pushing the pace) during the first round. He had side control, he was attacking… and when Anderson saw him fading, he thought: “Now I’m gonna give a show”. The problem is that this sport is not the place for that. In this sport you have to win.
I’m sure the people who were in his corner said: “Go out there and win”, but he decided to do what was on his mind, he was joking, shaking … And if you notice, this kid has a very big star (luck). Whenever he is in trouble, he manages to win. When he attacked, Anderson lost his balance when he was mocking him, and had no way to defend himself. And then he got caught with a punch to the chin. And when that happens there’s no way out, you go to sleep, your brain turns off.
“The longer the fight, the worst it would be to Chris, I was seeing it. He began to fade, but Anderson didn’t manage to take [the fight] seriously. He began to mock Chris. It was over the top (exaggerated), because you can’t belittle your opponent. If you’re confident enough to do this kind of thing, go and finish the fight. Go for the KO or for the submission. You just can’t stand there dancing and not go for the win. Are you gonna stay there to give a show to others?”
“I was [there] in the fight against Demian. Anderson’s behavior in this fight (against Weidman) was worse. It was more aggressive and more insulting than on that occasion. The words he was using … It was insulting … And this is something he shouldn’t do.
He is the champion, he is an example in the sport. He has a fantastic history as UFC fighter and should be respectful and act in a proper manner.
I gave an interview before the fight telling him to change his ways, but it didn’t happen. Unfortunately, it’s stuck in his soul and it comes out from there, right? And that’s what caused his defeat today (it costed his victory).“No doubt it affects you mentally. You’re trying to fight, to attack the guy and he is dancing, he isn’t keeping his hands high, he lets you hit his face… that’s a thing that really breaks you mentally. Chris had a break of pace, but not because of the way Anderson was fighting, but because he got tired, he was pushing the pace during the entire first round. And when you start like that, you need to slow down or the train derails”.
“Anderson is a great champion, all he has to do is put his head in the right place and remember when he was a kid who was working hard in order to get where he is now, and be that boy again. When you begin to lose sight of who you are, you start to fall into traps like this. Life comes to collect”.
As always, Renzo is right. Why do you always have to be right, Renzo?
Thanks to the Brazilian MMA news site Sportv for the quote.
