Chris Weidman coach: Anderson Silva diminishing UFC legacy with excuses
Chris Weidman coach Ray Longo wishes Anderson Silva a speedy recovery, and hopes the ex-champ moves on with his career.
Silva, though, shouldn’t expect a welcome mat rolled out for another meeting with Weidman.
“I just think he got dominated in both fights, and definitely doesn’t deserve anywhere near a third fight, in my opinion,†Longo told MMAjunkie.
Longo, who coaches the UFC’s middleweight champ, was almost incredulous when asked to respond to Silva’s recent comments about his rematch with Weidman, which came at UFC 168 and ended in a gruesomely broken leg.
“My initial feeling was, wow, this guy,†Longo said. “I always had a lot of respect for Anderson. But the first fight, he had his feet the wrong way, he was leaning too much, (and) he knows what he did wrong. This time, Weidman didn’t do anything, and he got hurt.â€
Silva broke his tibia and fibula in the second round of this past month’s pay-per-view when Weidman checked a leg kick.
Over the weekend, Silva told Brazilian media outlet Globo that his second loss to the American fighter was a lapse in technique and the product of an accident. Had the injury not occurred, he said, he likely would have won.
“I think these guys just aren’t in touch with reality, and they have to learn how to lose properly and grow from your losses, and move on – instead of making excuses,†Longo said. “Earn your way back up, correct your mistakes. That’s what really being a champion is. One win or loss doesn’t make a champion, but certainly making excuses isn’t being a champion, either.â€
The gravelly-voiced trainer even questioned whether Silva was being honest in his assessment of the fight, and deadpanned that there might be another explanation for his state of mind.
“I would think it’s a lot of OxyContins talking,†Longo said. “[Silva is] on a lot of pain meds, and he’s delirious – that would be my first gut feeling. I want to give him the benefit of the doubt.â€
Silva’s longtime co-manager, Ed Soares, declined to respond to Longo’s comments when contacted by MMAjunkie.
The record-setting ex-champ currently is recovering at his home in Redondo Beach, Calif., where this past Sunday he received a visit from UFC executives Lorenzo Fertitta and Dana White, who tweeted that Silva would be off crutches within 30 days. Silva promised a return to the cage.
Weidman, meanwhile, is vacationing on the tropical islands of Turks and Caicos, according to Longo, and will take time with his family before addressing his next challenge – No. 1 contender Vitor Belfort, whom he meets likely in May or July in Las Vegas.
Longo could not provide an update on Weidman’s knee, which reportedly was injured heading into UFC 168. Weidman said after this past December’s pay-per-view that he potentially could need arthroscopic surgery to clear damaged tissue in the joint. (Weidman told MMAjunkie earlier this month he’ll get looked over by a doctor to make sure he’s all good before telling the UFC brass he’d prefer to fight Belfort in May.)
Longo said he’ll touch base with the champ at the end of this week, and added the two haven’t spoken about the second fight. He knows, however, how he feels about a third.
“Me personally, (Silva is) going to have to earn his way back up, and maybe by the time he’s 45, we’ll be waiting for him,†he said.
“I think the guy deserves a legacy. I really hope he takes a higher ground and just admits that the kid beat him, fair and square, twice, and go on and live with all your accolades. I think it’s going to diminish his legacy if he keeps making excuses, because I don’t think that’s what a champion should do.â€
