The summer months have finally hit us, and while we bask in the sun’s rays and complain about it “suddenly” being hot, the Ultimate Fighting Championship is gearing up for one of its biggest periods of the year. Being one of the only active “mainstream” sports putting on events at this time it is a great opportunity for the UFC to gain some more followers. UFC 162 is up first, with the spotlight shining brightest as a great opportunity for the promotion to kick off the summer in a strong way.
Look no further than the card’s main event for one of the most anticipated fights thus far in 2013. Considered by many to be a candidate for the title of the greatest mixed martial artist ever, Anderson Silva goes for his 11th title defense and 17th straight victory. Across the cage from Silva will be a fighter who has fewer than a quarter as many fights as the current champion, but is considered the greatest threat to his title.
Call him overhyped if you’d like, but Chris Weidman seems to have the skill set to to become the first man to defeat Anderson in seven years. With his wrestling base, grappling skills, and developing striking game, many experts and fighters, including the likes of Georges St. Pierre and Frankie Edgar, are picking Weidman to dethrone the legend. If there was ever a fight that the MMA fanbase, both mainstream and hardcore, had to see, then this would be it.
The rest of the UFC 162 card consists of great fights as well. Frankie Edgar looks to get on the winning track as a featherweight, as he takes on Charles Oliveira in the co-main event. Due to close decision losses, Edgar is faced with a three-fight skid, after taking part in seven straight title fights dating back to 2010. Oliveira brings a dangerous grappling game into this bout, but many consider him a major underdog against the former lightweight champion. “Do Bronx” has the opportunity to pull off one of the biggest upsets in recent memory, but has a massive hill to climb when he steps into the cage in Las Vegas.
In addition to the title fight in the main event, there are two other important middleweight bouts on the docket as well. Strikeforce veterans Roger Gracie and Tim Kennedy are meeting in a fight that could have occurred in the San Jose-based promotion’s Hexagon a few years ago. Gracie brings some of the greatest grappling skills of this generation into the Octagon, while Kennedy is known as an intense fighter that uses relentless pressure to control fights from start to finish. In the other middleweight contest, Tim Boetsch and Mark Munoz both look to reestablish themselves as contenders to the middleweight title after suffering defeats in their last outings. This fight should shake up the top ten rankings, as the winner will place himself 2 to 3 more victories away from challenging for the title.
Cub Swanson and Dennis Siver also look to walk out of the Octagon as title contenders in the featherweight division. In what should be an exciting stand up bout between two fighters who do not shy away from exchanges, this bout could easily steal the show.
UFC 162 has all the makings of a potential fight card of the year. If each of these athletes put forth the efforts in their respective matchups that they are known for; this is the type of event that will make serious fans out of casual viewers, and keep mixed martial arts fans talking for weeks.
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UFC 162: Silva vs. Weidman is due to take place on July 6, 2013 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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