Renzo Gracie On Chris Weidman: I Believe He Will Submit Anderson Silva

UFC Middleweight Champion Chris Weidman shocked the world when he captured his belt at UFC 162, knocking Anderson Silva out in the second round and ending (or possibly just pausing) his incredible reign as 185lb. boss.

The win gave Weidman the legitimacy that trainers Ray Longo and Matt Serra have said he deserves since day one. With the new Championship comes a sudden jolt in to the limelight of modern MMA media; a cut throat place where walls have ears and every word could be your last (just kidding, I love this job). But seriously, everyone has his or her opinion about you when you are the king.

On this occasion the guy with an opinion is MMA/BJJ legend Renzo Gracie, who spoke with Ariel Helwani during The MMA Hour:

“He will submit him, I do believe he’s going to submit him, yes. He’s getting better every day. If Anderson doesn’t improve his ground game, he will be in trouble this time.”

“I like Anderson a lot, he’s an unbelievable champion,” he said. “It’s going to be a tough fight, but Weidman is the one for that task. If Anderson is not that careful, (Weidman) is going to take Anderson down and submit him.”

Gracie is a trainer of Weidman’s at the New York based Serra-Longo Fight Team, and has also coached such legends as Matt Serra, GSP and Frankie Edgar. The only flaw I find in Gracie’s statement is that a submission on the mat will mean that Weidman has to take Silva down.

I know that happened in the first bout, but something tells me that a re-motivated Anderson Silva will not be taking any chances this time around. The first bout did not prove that Silva was a fraud, but that clowning will get you knocked silly at the top level in MMA; even if you are the GOAT.

Weidman faces the unbelievable task of defending the UFC Middleweight title against Silva, having not only beaten him but becoming the first man to ever KO ‘The Spider’. I don’t know if that is a good thing or not. Will Silva get his title back? Who knows, one thing I do know is that Renzo cracks me up.