Anderson Silva vs. Chris Weidman headlines UFC 162

Las Vegas, NV, United States (4E Sports) – UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva will make his record-setting 11th title defense at UFC 162 on July 6 against Chris Weidman.

Weidman (9-0) assumes the role of No. 1 contender in lieu of Michael Bisping (23-5), who was knocked out in the second round by Vitor Belfort.

He is the No. 2-ranked middleweight in the world, according to ESPN.com, behind only Silva.

A former All-American collegiate wrestler, Weidman hasn’t fought since last July because of a shoulder injury.

Silva (33-4) is coming off a first-round knockout of Stephan Bonnar in a non-title light-heavyweight bout in October.

The 37-year-old champion had been linked to potential matchups with Bisping and welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre (23-2 MMA, 17-2 UFC) before drawing Weidman.

St-Pierre has been criticized by his UFC 158 opponent, Nick Diaz, for not campaigning to fight Silva.

A victory over Diaz, though, could set up a St. Pierre vs. Silva fight.

MMAjunkie.com recently reported that UFC President Dana White has promised either a St-Pierre vs. Silva or Jon Jones vs. Silva super fight by year’s end.

Silva is widely considered the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. His last loss came via disqualification against Yushin Okami in 2006.

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