Chris Weidman thinks Anderson Silva is just another opponent

It seems like Chris Weidman has something new to say everyday about his next opponent, the legendary Anderson Silva. Many have begun to think Weidman may be getting a bit too big for his britches, as he’s looked impressive in his short MMA career, but hardly good enough to start endlessly trashing one of the greatest fighters of all time. Today, he met up with Yahoo! to discuss how Silva is a mere mortal like the rest of us:

“You have to treat him like just another opponent. You respect what he’s done in this sport. Of course you do. But you can’t get caught up in it.”

“Guess what? He’s a person just like I am, he’s got two arms, two legs, two eyes, like I do. I’m not fighting a superhero, I’m fighting another person, and it’s my job to defeat him. Simple as that.”

When put that way, the task at hand may be as simple as just another opponent, just another fight. But the fact of the matter is Anderson Silva is not just another opponent. He’s a wrecking machine that has never lost in the UFC, and while Weidman thinks he may have Silva’s kryptonite with his wrestling, the champ has fought and defeated wrestlers before.

Weidman also comes in off a long layoff and surgery. Will these factors come into play? Against lesser opponents, maybe even some top ten middleweights, they might not as much. But it’s hard to think that being anything less than 100 percent against Silva will do. So Weidman obviously has his supporters and his detractors, but he doesn’t seem to care about the latter:

“I can’t change anyone’s mind, and that’s not my job, anyway. I feel like I have the right mix of skills, the desire, the determination, to get the job done. The UFC thinks enough of me to give me the title shot. To those who might think I don’t deserve this yet, all I can say is, tune in on July 6 and I’ll show you otherwise.”

There’s no doubt Chris Weidman is a great fighter, and truth be told, he might dethrone the champ this July. But will anyone really be surprised if he’s added to the laundry list of top-flight opponents that Silva has turned into mincemeat? Perhaps he’s trying to get inside the champ’s head, but we’ve seen what that can result in. Regardless, it appears Weidman will continue to talk trash everyday until the fight takes place. Where is Silva in all of this talk? For some reason, he doesn’t seem to care too much.