Anderson Silva believes Chris Weidman’s luck has run its course.
Back in July 2013, Weidman pulled off one of the most stunning knockout wins in the history of mixed martial arts (MMA). The “All-American” took on Silva for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight title. “The Spider” had never been beaten inside the Octagon. A left hook from Weidman, followed by some ground-and-pound earned him the UFC title.
In their rematch later that year, Silva broke his leg off a checked leg kick. Weidman would go on to successfully defend his title two more times before going on a three-fight losing streak. In his last bout, Weidman suffered a controversial TKO loss at the hands of Gegard Mousasi (more on that here).
During a recent media scrum, Silva said luck carried Weidman for a while and now it has faded (via MMAJunkie.com):
“I quickly saw a clip the guys showed me on their phones. The rule is very clear: He didn’t have his hand on the ground. So, he was kneed and the knee was legal. The rule is clear. If he has his hands on the ground, four points of contact, you can’t hit him. Mousasi lifted him off the ground when he was hitting. It was the ref’s mistake, obviously, and when he put his hands back there, he was defenseless. But these are things that happen. Weidman is a very lucky guy, and this time he wasn’t lucky. He’s very lucky, but his luck ran out. He had some luck for a while, and now it’s over.”