UFC rematch between Chris Weidman and Anderson Silva set for Dec. 28
A week after Chris Weidman produced his stunning knockout of longtime Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight champion Anderson Silva, the rematch has been set.
UFC President Dana White said Saturday he has returned to his original idea of placing Weidman-Silva II on Dec. 28 — the UFC’s popular New Year’s card at MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
The co-main event will be UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey’s second title defense, a rematch against her former Strikeforce rival Miesha Tate.
White first told The Times last week that he wanted Weidman-Silva II to be fought on Dec. 28, avoiding the UFC’s other annual card in Las Vegas on the Saturday night before the Super Bowl in February.
This year, UFC network broadcast partner Fox is televising the Super Bowl, and White said he didn’t want what he projected as “the biggest fight in UFC history” to have a distracted mainstream sports fan base.
Weidman (10-0) shocked Silva on July 6 with a second-round knockout, putting an end to the former champion’s antics-laced performance that included dancing, comic facial expressions and punching his own chin.
The loss ended Silva’s run of 10 successful title defenses dating to October 2006 and his unbeaten (16-0) record in the UFC.
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