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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
Chris Weidman will be getting his wish this July, as the much talked about fight with Anderson Silva appears to be a go. The fight has been the UFC's plan since both Michael Bisping and Rashad Evans suffered losses in the first six weeks of 2013, but they still needed to get Silva to go along with the bout.
According to a report from Newsday.com, UFC owner Lorenzo Fertitta says they've done just that, letting Weidman know on Wednesday that they've spoken with Silva and the fight is on for July 4 weekend. Both Fertitta and Weidman were in Albany, New York, on Wednesday, trying to further the attempts to legalize MMA in the state.
"Dream come true," Weidman said of getting the fight confirmed. "Ever since I've been fighting, Anderson Silva has been the Champion and I've been visualizing beating him. Now I have the opportunity. I have to make the most of it."
The July 6 event is most likely to be UFC 162, and is expected to take place in Las Vegas.
Penick's Analysis: It was expected that the UFC would get Silva to come around to the idea of the fight, and that's just what he's done here in taking the Weidman fight. Weidman lucked out that fighters who were ahead of him in the pecking order fell by the wayside while he's been out injured, but it doesn't matter how he got into the fight; what matters now is how he performs on July 6, because all he can do now is go in and do his best to win that fight.
[Anderson Silva art by Cory Gould (c) MMATorch.com]
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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