UFC 162 blog: Weidman stuns Silva with second-round knockout

By Case Keefer (contact)

Published Saturday, July 6, 2013 | 6:55 p.m.

Updated Saturday, July 6, 2013 | 9:58 p.m.

Note: Scroll to the bottom for full results from the preliminary card.

Chris Weidman stood motionless in the center of the octagon and waited for the screens at the MGM Grand Garden Arena to show the replay.

It was the first of thousands of times the 29-year-old from New York will see this highlight. Weidman made history in the main event of UFC 162 Saturday night, knocking out Anderson Silva at 1:18 of the second round to become the first new middleweight champion since 2006.

"I felt like I was destined for this," Weidman said in the octagon. "But it still felt far-fetched."

That's because 16 men before him challenged Silva in the UFC, and 16 had failed. "The Spider" was widely referred to the greatest fighter in mixed martial arts history, a borderline unbeatable force who found new ways to amaze every time he stepped in the octagon.

Not this night. Weidman won the first round by taking Silva down and controlling most of the action. When they got up, Silva let Weidman hit him and taunted the challenger by motioning that nothing hurt.

That would be his downfall. Silva kept the hands-down routine into the second round, and that's when Weidman caught him.

""I wasn't going to let him get away with it," Weidman said.

Weidman dropped Silva with a left hand that looked launched out of a cannon and followed the champion to the ground with more punches.

The referee had to pull him off.

"I feel invincible right now," Weidman said. "I say all the respect to Anderson Silva. I'll do a rematch if that's what he wants to do."

But Silva didn't ask for a rematch. He even said he wasn't interested.

"My legacy for the belt is finished," Silva said.

He clarified that he didn't plan to retire from the sport, but kept emphasizing that "now Chris is the best."

One of the most memorable main events in the history of the UFC overshadowed the rest of the card, which featured a Fight of the Year contender in the co-main event.

Frankie Edgar and Charles Oliveira engaged in a slugfest that went all over the cage. Edgar ended up edging Oliveira, winning a unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28).

"I fought as hard as I do in a five-round fight," the former champion said. "I thought I had him hurt but he showed some toughness."

Cub Swanson, Mark Munoz and Tim Kennedy were the other winners on the main card, a main card that will never be forgotten for how it ended.

Check below for live round-by-round coverage of the main card and preliminary results at the bottom of the page. Come back to lasvegassun.com for full coverage later.

Anderson Silva vs. Chris Weidman

Second Round After embracing at the end of the first round, Silva taunts Weidman early in the second. He's playing mind games and they might be working. Silva pretends that Weidman staggers him and starts skipping in the cage. Silva throws Weidman out of the way when he shoots for a takedown. Nothing Weidman does affects the champion, but he's still backing up and not doing much himself. Weidman tries for a Silva-esque kick that misses. Silva shows off more and Weidman catches him with a left hand. Silva is down and the referee steps in. The crowd goes wild. Chris Weidman is the new champion. Chris Weidman knocks out Anderson Silva at 1:18 of the second round.

First Round Silva is bobbing left and right, keeping the aggressive Weidman from doing anything. Weidman shoots for a takedown and Silva sprawls. But Silva winds up on his back anyway and Weidman smothers him at first chance. He gets a couple ground-and-pound strikes in, and then a whole lot about 20 seconds later. Weidman is in Silva's half-guard and the American fans are making noise early. Weidman stays busy with elbows and punches. Silva gets a hold of his left arm as Weidman stands up over the champion. He lets go and Weidman keeps the pressure on with more punches. Silva mounts offense from his back with punches of his own. Weidman grabs Silva's leg and looks for a heel hook. Silva sweeps and gets to his feet. The crowd gives a standing ovation to the early action. Weidman backs Silva down. Silva moves his head out of the way effortlessly when Weidman tries to jab. Silva puts his hand down and lets Weidman tag him without any response. Silva stays in that position and kicks Weidman. Weidman hits Silva and he laughs, asking for more. Silva lets loose a barrage of leg kicks. Weidman keeps swinging and connecting, but Silva doesn't mind. He's taunting the challenger. Silva tries a big kick to the body but Weidman evades. Silva's leg kicks are scoring, though. Silva is on a run at the end of the round, but it's not enough. Weidman gets a 10-9 advantage in the first round.

Frankie Edgar vs. Charles Oliveira

Third Round Oliveira comes out swinging, both his arms and legs. He gets a few shots to go, but Edgar comes on strong. He rocks Oliveira with a right hand. A wobbly Oliveira somehow stays on his feet. Crowd goes wild as Edgar flies in swinging. Oliveira will survive, but Edgar pushes him to the floor on the opposite side of where he nearly got the knockdown. Oliveira is prompted back up and clips Edgar with a right hand after a couple of exchanges. Oliveira begins kicking and hits Edgar with a big knee. Edgar retreats with Oliveira following. What a round. Edgar looks recovered from now and shoots for a takedown. Oliveira goes down but Edgar loses hold and backs off. Back on the feet, they exchange right hands. Oliveira tries throwing elbows and the second one that connects sends Edgar to the ground and tumbling backwards. Edgar comes forward and gets the crowd riled up with two big right hands. Oliveira is in trouble again. Edgar lands a flying knee but Oliveira comes forward. The Brazilian is taking some real punishment to the tune of "USA" chants. Edgar stuffs a takedown but then follows Oliveira to the floor where his ground-and-pound is relentless. Oliveira has no offense to speak of for the final minute with Edgar swarming on top. It's a clean sweep on the Sun's scorecard, 30-27 for Edgar in a likely Fight of the Night. Frankie Edgar defeats Charles Oliveira by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28).

Second Round They exchange early with Oliveira finding some success on the feet. He lands a couple jabs nicely and then kicks Edgar across the body. Oliveira also thwarts a couple takedown attempts. His offense is working, too. A loud legkick against Edgar's knee ricochets throughout the arena. Oliveira goes to the ground, where Edgar elects not to go and instead kicks him from his feet. Edgar opens up his boxing again and Oliveira responds with a flying knee. Bad choice for the Brazilian, as Edgar takes him down with the opening. Oliveira eats some ground-and-pound from Edgar, who takes a couple elbows to the top of the head from Oliveira. He's gotten all the points back though with elbows of his own — harder ones at that. Edgar lets Oliveira up where more boxing is in store. Oliveira attempts a switch kick but Edgar uses his well-known quickness to evade it. Edgar circles and counters an Oliveira advance. And then another. Oliveira lands a straight right but gets a kick caught by Edgar and takes a punch shortly after. Edgar works on combinations again. Oliveira answers with aggression and they have a nice exchange with 30 seconds to go. Both fighters re landing and Edgar's face is bloody. He slams Oliveira at the end of the round. Entertaining second frame goes to Edgar, 10-9, and the former champion is ahead 20-18 on this scorecard.

First Round Edgar catches an Oliveira kick within the opening five seconds. It looks the Brazilian wants to keep the pace up, which is an interesting choice against someone like Edgar who's gotten to championship level using that tactic. Edgar gets him on the ground but they stay there for all of 15 seconds before re-engaging on the feet. Edgar slams Oliveira in the middle of the octagon and is in his guard right away. Oliveira looks for an armbar and then a heel hook, but Edgar scrambles to his feet. He hits Oliveira with a combination, but the former champion takes a kick to the torso and a knee to the chin. Edgar starts to out-box Oliveira, however, with jabs setting up a left hand to the body. Edgar tosses Oliveira to the ground but won't follow him there. Edgar's combinations sound crisp and Oliveira is doing nothing to stop them. The Brazilian attempts to pull guard but Edgar leaps to his feet after momentarily coming down head-first on the mat. Edgar picks Oliveira apart with another 1-2 boxing combination. He wrangles Oliveira to the ground right before the round ends. Good five minutes for Edgar, who leads 10-9 according to the Sun.

Tim Kennedy vs. Roger Gracie

Third Round Kennedy's jab is met with a front kick from Gracie at the start of the round. Gracie is breathing hard. Kennedy looks fresh but is mostly backing down and not engaging. Kennedy lands a few legkicks but that's the extent of the action through the first minute and a half. Kennedy amps up the aggression with a right hook and clinch initiation. It doesn't last long as Kennedy backs up against the cage. Gracie shoots for a takedown. After some struggle, Kennedy goes down but works his way right back to his feet. The crowd is getting restless and trying to start the wave. It actually works. The fighters must be confused by the commotion. They stay in the same position regardless until Kennedy finally heads back to the middle. Nothing happens there. It's going to be tough to declare a winner based off of this plodding affair. The Sun leans slightly 10-9 to Kennedy in the final round for a 29-28 win. Tim Kennedy wins a unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) over Roger Gracie.

Second Round They strike for only a few seconds before getting back into the clinch Kennedy tosses Gracie to the ground and plays on the ground until it becomes too dangerous. Kennedy stands up and tosses ground-and-pound before following Gracie back down. They both come up against the fence and Kennedy forces some dirty-boxing in on the London native. "USA" chants and Brazilian cheers fill the arena as the fight slows. Gracie reverses position and knees Kennedy for a short time, before the US Army veteran trips the jiu-jitsu great to the ground. Kennedy is careful not to put himself in any compromising positions but gets a few elbows to land against Gracie's forehead. Having not seen any action for a while, the referee stands the fight up. Kennedy kicks Gracie to the knee and then counters a lazy jab. They lock back up against the cage and Kennedy throws some short body shots and knees before the horn blows. Kennedy tied it up that round as the score is 19-19 on the Sun's card.

First Round The first of three American vs. Brazilian matchups to end the night gets fans from both countries chanting. The Brazilians have more to cheer about in the first minute, as Gracie gets Kennedy down where he wants him. Kennedy pops up to a knee, not allowing Gracie to showcase his world-class jiu-jitsu. Thirty seconds later, Kennedy pops to his feet. They're clinched against the cage for a while before heading back to the middle. Sloppy striking ensues before the two former Strikeforce fighters are clinched against the cage again. Gracie dumps Kennedy down and takes his back. Kennedy is hand-fighting in attempt to stave off the rear-naked choke, but he's not in a good position with Gracie securing the body-triangle. Kennedy lobs punches behind him but Gracie is undaunted. Kennedy sweeps out before the end of the round, but it's not nearly enough. Gracie wins the first round 10-9 on the Sun's scorecard.

Mark Munoz vs. Tim Boetsch

Third Round Munoz keeps the pressure on, landing a half-dozen punches at the start of the round. He looks for a takedown and Boetsch appears to pull guard with the thought of going for a choke. Munoz is safe and back to his feet. Boetsch is determined, however, and continues to grapple. He tries to take Munoz's back but slides off with some effort from Munoz. Now Boetsch is not in an advantageous position as Munoz rains down shots over top of him. Boetsch is covering up to what Munoz calls his "Donkey Kong" ground-and-pound. Munoz hits Boetsch with several punches before going for an armbar. It's deep and Boetsch raises his hand like he may tap, but resists. Munoz gives it up and the crowd exhales. Boetsch remains in no position to win, however, as Munoz punches until he can take his opponent's back for a try at a rear-naked choke. Those plans are ditched too and Munoz winds up on top Boetsch with more punches. Boetsch desperately grabs a hold of Munoz's right leg, but there's nothing he can do with it. Some late ground-and-pound nearly finishes it for Munoz, but not quite. Munoz wins a 30-27 decision on the Sun's scorecard anyway. Mark Munoz wins a unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 29-28) over Tim Boetsch.

Second Round Boetsch gets aggressive and kicks Munoz to start the round. Munoz answers and starts to come forward. He telegraphs a flying knee, giving Boetsch plenty of time to move out of trouble. Munoz presses Boetsch against the cage. They trade knees before Munoz starts to get more serious about landing a takedown. Boetsch stays up and reverses position before backing out of the clinch. Boetsch closes the distance and pelts Munoz with a couple right hands before getting taken down again. Munoz is winning this fight with his wrestling. Boetsch lies head-down on the mat as Munoz fires ground-and-pound fists both to the head and body. Boetsch powers his way up. They grapple for position. Boetsch tries to take Munoz down, but a sprawl keeps the fight on the feet. Munoz stands over Boetsch and tenderizes his side with hammerfists. He takes a page out of Anderson Silva's book at the end of the round and goes to the chest of his opponent with knees. Munoz cruises to a 10-9 score in the second round to go up 20-18 on the Sun's scorecard.

First Round Boetsch uses punches early to set up a takedown, which he converts. But Munoz sweeps and gets right back to his feet. Boetsch clinches up against the fence and slams his opponent. Munoz covers up as Boetsch lands ground-and-pound from behind. Munoz easily gets to his knees and stands back up. Boetsch keeps the pressure on for 30 seconds until Munoz breaks free and heads back to the center of the cage. Boetsch flies in with a combination, punctuated by a knee, and locks up again. Munoz wrestles now, getting Boetsch down with a double-leg. He lands one punch before Boetsch is back on his feet. Munoz throws knees that don't connect. Boetsch foot stomps before getting taken down again. They flop around fighting for position, allowing Boetsch to get back on his feet. Munoz takes Boetsch down again, but "The Barbarian" has a hold of "The Filipino Wrecking Machine's" neck. Munoz gets out, but Boetsch establishes top position with the scramble. They exchange on the feet and Munoz catches Boetsch with a wild combination. Munoz clinches with Boetsch. Munoz fires punches to Boetsch's right thigh as the fight drags a little with one minute remaining. Munoz backs up and tags Boetsch with his hands. He shoots for a takedown that he won't convert on as the round ends. Munoz wins the first round 10-9 on the Sun's scorecard.

Cub Swanson vs. Dennis Siver

Third Round Swanson smiles as the round gets under way. His conditioning looks superior to Siver's, as the German is breathing heavily. Siver shoots for a takedown but Swanson backs away and lands a right hand as a departing gift. Siver gets back to his leg kick, but Swanson answers with a couple stiff hooks. Siver tries for a spinning backfist, but Swanson ducks. Faking a front kick, Siver tries to establish his jab. But all the power shots are going for Swanson, including a head kick and a right hand. Swanson drops Siver with punches and blasts the downed opponent. He stands over him with his hands out, flinging punches to Siver's face when the referee doesn't stop the fight. About a dozen more unanswered strikes hit Siver before Swanson stops and looks at the referee incredulously. The fight is stopped. Cub Swanson defeats Dennis Siver by TKO at 2:24 of the third round.

Second Round Siver counters and clips Swanson with a left hand. Then he gets aggressive on the feet, coming forward with a combination. Swanson's timing is all off as he whiffs on an uppercut. Siver is using his kickboxing to keep Swanson at distance. Siver tries for a single-leg takedown, but Swanson is able to get free. Swanson goes for a cartwheel kick. It looks pretty and gets the fan going, but doesn't land. Siver lands a hook from each hand instead. A combination from Siver scores halfway through the round. Swanson gets fancy again, and fails again. The spinkick hits nothing. Swanson does connect with a straight right and a leg kick, but Siver's head movement is keeping him away from significant strikes. Swanson gets some momentum going with 1:30, scoring with a right hand before rocketing a kick across Siver's stomach. Swanson turns the tables completely with a minute to go. He rocks Siver with a right hand who nearly falls down, but tries to grab a hold of Swanson. Swanson suplexes the German kickboxer and unleashes ground-and-pound from mount position. Siver sweeps near the end of the round to get back on top when Swanson looks for a submission. Entertaining round goes to Swanson, 10-9, on the Sun's scorecard to even the fight.

First Round The fighters trade kicks early, with no one establishing a clear advantage. Siver is high-energy, bouncing around, while Swanson is the one coming forward. Siver lands a combination to take control and Swanson weaves out. Swanson lands an overhand right 1:30 into the round and then throws a spinkick. Siver ducks under and shoots to take Swanson down. Siver is in Swanson's half-guard and looks to pass into side control. When Swanson defends, Siver throws a few elbows to the forehead. Swanson eventually gets Siver's arms locked up. Siver gets into side control a little after the midway point of the round. He's raining punches, which makes Swanson squirm. Siver keeps applying pressure with a heavy top-game. Swanson, who doesn't look like he'll get up any time soon, takes some shots to the side. Siver attempts to mount Swanson but winds up back in half-guard. Swanson kicks Siver's kidney area before looking for a guillotine. Siver has to let Swanson up. He hits him with a kick with 10 seconds to go, though. They exchange more before the bell. Siver wins the first round 10-9.

UFC 162 feels historic, like one of those rare fight cards that fans and media will continue to discuss years from now.

Then again, that could be said about any time Anderson Silva steps into the octagon at this point. “The Spider” has made any debate about the best fighter in mixed martial arts history a laughing matter, winning 16 straight fights and defending his middleweight belt 10 times to run away with the honor.

But he’s also turned 38 years old since last fighting, and the prevailing thought is he must slow down at some point. Enter Chris Weidman.

Weidman is the first undefeated opponent Silva has ever met in the UFC. He’s just as strong of a wrestler as Chael Sonnen, who infamously came within two minutes of dethroning Silva two years ago.

At 2-to-1 odds, he’s the lowest-priced Silva challenger since Dan Henderson five years ago.

This could be the guy. Weidman has the tools to end Silva’s seven-year reign at the top of the division. Silva’s first loss — if it ever happens — automatically clinches its spot in UFC lore.

Even if he coasts past Weidman like so many previous threats, however, UFC 162 will likely still be held in high regard. The event will be remembered as yet another example of Silva asserting his dominance and validating all the superlatives attached to his name.

The murmurs of Jon Jones potentially surpassing Silva in the pound-for-pound rankings would be silenced for the moment, while talks of the two facing each other would be amplified.

But there’s plenty that needs deciding before Silva and Weidman walk out at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. With the preliminary card completed, four pay-per-view bouts are on tap before the main event.

Both of the men in the first one of the night, Cub Swanson and Dennis Siver, are calling for featherweight title shots if they win. Since the beginning of 2011, both fighters are a stellar 4-1 inside the octagon.

Four middleweights who aspire to reach the heights of Silva and Weidman get the spotlight next. Fringe top-10 contenders Mark Munoz and Tim Boetsch come back from injuries, while Strikeforce crossovers Tim Kennedy and Roger Gracie look to build their UFC profiles.

The co-main event features one of the UFC’s most popular non-champion fighters, as Frankie Edgar looks to bounce back from three straight losses against Charles Oliveira. The winner will position himself strongly within the featherweight class.

Check back for round-by-round coverage of the main card, and look below for full results from all of the preliminary contests.

Anderson Silva's first-ever UFC victim suffered his third straight setback in the final preliminary fight of the night. Andrew Craig defeated Chris "The Crippler" Leben by split decision (30-27, 29-28, 28-29) in their middleweight bout. The first two rounds were close, but Craig knocked Leben down in the third and nearly stopped "The Ultimate Fighter" 1 veteran.

Norman Parke out-pointed Kazuki Tokudome in a lightweight bout, winning a unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28). The second round enlivened the crowd as Parke blasted Tokudome with a variety of punches, highlighted by repeated left hands, to no avail. Tokudome showed off his toughness in refusing to go down.

Gabriel Gonzaga knocked out Dave Herman 17 seconds into their heavyweight bout. Gonzaga countered a Herman legkick with a right hand that scored him the fourth-fastest knockout in the history of the heavyweight division.

Rafaello Oliveira's cornermen had to help carry him out of the MGM Grand Garden Arena after his lightweight bout with Edson Barboza. Oliveira couldn't walk after Barboza endlessly attacked his left knee, which turned plum colored and bled, with legkicks. After Oliveira collapsed to the ground for the third time in less than a minute, referee Herb Dean waved off the fight to give Barboza a TKO victory at 2:44 of the second round.

An early upset saw Brian Melancon knock out Seth Baczynski with one second remaining in the first round. Melancon dropped Baczynski before smothering him with ground-and-pound. "I heard the clap," an overwhelmed Melancon said of the indicator that 10 seconds were left in the round, "and tried to finish it before the end of the round." He was just in time.

A dull welterweight fight turned explosive in a flash. Mike Pierce and David Mitchell spent most of the first round in the clinch without much action. But Pierce caught Mitchell with a short right hand in the second round and finished him by TKO with ensuing punches at the 2:55 mark.

Case Keefer can be reached at 948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.