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Despite Silva 'avoiding it at all costs,' Weidman hopeful for July title shot

Despite Silva 'avoiding it at all costs,' Weidman hopeful for July title shot | News

"It seems like he's avoiding it at all costs at this point," Weidman told MMAjunkie.com (UFC blog for UFC news, UFC rumors, fighter interviews and event previews/recaps) on Saturday in Chicago. "I'm a big, strong, young, athletic wrestler with good submissions. I think it's a bad matchup for him, I think he knows that, and he's making millions of dollars outside the cage being the undefeated UFC champion – untouchable. And if Chris Weidman, who a lot of people don't know, goes in there and takes that away from him, it's not good for him."...

"I really wanted that fight with Boetsch," Weidman said. "I think it was a good time for me to shine, and it really just solidified the fact that I want Anderson Silva. But I think everything happens for a reason. Somehow, I'm back in this position of being No. 1 contender again with Bisping losing."

Weidman began asking for Silva after his devastating knockout win over Mark Munoz in July. He picked up a "Knockout of the Night" bonus in the main event on FUEL TV and stayed unbeaten.

But back then, he was hearing Silva wanted to sit out until 2013 following his win over Chael Sonnen the week prior.

"Before my Boetsch fight, I wanted to fight him straight up, right away," he said. "He said he didn't want to fight until 2013. I had elbow surgery, and then he took the fight with Stephan Bonnar in 2012, out of nowhere, and I ended up getting the Boetsch fight."

Buzz has been that Silva and his camp would like a fight with Cung Le.

"I mean, I guess if I was him, I'd rather fight him (than me), too," Weidman said. "I mean, no disrespect to Cung Le, but that's a good matchup for him. I think if Dana White wants (me fighting Silva) to happen and the UFC wants to make it happen, it'll happen. But it's a little different with Anderson, him being who he is."

But as for that July timetable, Weidman has things pretty well plotted out. Put simply, in his ideal world, he'd fight Silva in July, win the title, see MMA legislation passed in his home state of New York, and give Silva his rematch on his home turf.

"I just had shoulder surgery and I'm two months in from the operation, and in another two months I'll be 100 percent," he said. "So I'm looking at July 4 weekend, Anderson Silva, and give him an immediate rematch in November at Madison Square Garden."