UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre believes No. 1 middleweight contender Chris Weidman will defeat and finish Anderson Silva when the two meet at UFC 162 on July 6 in Las Vegas.
“My friend Chris Weidman, when I see him in training, I believe he’s going to beat Anderson Silva,” GSP recently told Sportsnet. “I believe it’s a bad matchup for Anderson Silva. It’s very bad.
“Not only is he going to beat, I believe he’s going to finish Anderson Silva,” GSP explained. “I believe it’s not going to be too long, that fight. People will be shocked.”
GSP frequently trains with Weidman when he travels to New York to work with Renzo Gracie’s team in preparation for his fights.
St-Pierre, who looks to defend his 170-pound title against Nick Diaz at UFC 158 this coming Saturday, added that Silva is fighting Weidman at the most opportune time since Weidman is coming off multiple surgeries and hasn’t competed since last July.
“Anderson Silva is smart because Chris Weidman, he come back from an injury, a long layoff, so it’s the time to fight him right now,” St-Pierre said. “It’s going to be the best time to fight Chris Weidman right now, so Chris needs to be sure he needs to get very well-prepared for this fight.”
Silva (33-4) has not lost since he was disqualified in a bout against Yushin Okami in January 2006 and hasn’t been finished since a submission loss to Ryo Chonan on New Year’s Eve in 2004. The Brazilian is 16-0 in his UFC career.
Weidman is 9-0 in his MMA career that began in 2009 and has amassed a 5-0 record in the UFC. He is coming off a TKO win over Mark Munoz and also has wins over Demian Maia, Alessio Sakara, Tom Lawlor and TUF 17’s Uriah Hall.
