Silva was hit by several eye pokes during his third-round TKO loss to Weidman on Saturday night, two of which came right before Copeland’s fight-ending maneuver.
When Weidman launched his last blow, Silva instantly objected, and the video revealed that the Brazilian had been stabbed in the eye.
On Sunday, Silva told MMA Fighting, “The referee was bizarre.”.
He not only f***** up, but f***** up again.
He poked a finger into my eye. Rather than declaring a no-contest, the commission considered the outcome to be a technical ruling in Weidman’s favor.
The former champion was declared the winner by all three judges in both rounds, in addition to receiving a 10-9 for the 2:18 that lasted the entire final stanza.
Silva will appeal to the New Jersey commission because he believed the New York native was unfairly given preference in their calls.
Although Silva stated that a no-contest would be fair, “we think it’s hard for Chris Weidman to accept a rematch.”.
He announced that it was a unanimous victory, which surprised me since I had assumed they would declare it a no-contest.
“Chris Weidman behaved dishonestly,” stated Silva.
“I always try to see it as a professional, but I never liked Chris Weidman because of how he handled Anderson Silva’s leg break,” Silva remarked.
We were there to fight, so there was no animosity during the bout, but after it was over, I was upset with the referee.
He was extremely disloyal, though, as I discovered when I watched the fight at the hotel.
I promise not to disrespect him here either, but when we fight again, it will be different.
NEUTRAL
Bruno Silva is not pleased with the actions of referee Gary Copeland and Chris Weidman at UFC Atlantic City.
Silva was hit with several eye pokes during his third-round TKO loss to Weidman on Saturday night, two of which came right before Copeland’s fight-ending maneuver. When Weidman launched his last blow, Silva instantly objected, and the video revealed that the Brazilian had been stabbed in the eye.
On Sunday, Silva told MMA Fighting, “The referee was bizarre.”. He not only f***** up, but f***** up again. They should at the very least hold a no-contest. Absolutely not. His finger pricked my eye. “.
The commission decided that Weidman had won on a technicality rather than declaring it to be a no-contest. With an additional 10-9 for the 2:18 that lasted the last stanza, all three judges awarded the former champion victory in both rounds. Silva will appeal to the New Jersey commission because he believes it unfairly favored the New York native with its calls.
A no-contest would be fair, but we believe it would be difficult for Chris Weidman to accept a rematch, Silva stated. Watch what the UFC decides to do. All I want is for things to be handled fairly and correctly. You didn’t witness any animosity on my part when I went there and fought. “.
“I saw [Weidman] celebrating, but I thought the referee was stopping it because of my eye,” he went on. “This m*********** knocked me out, no f****** way,” I exclaimed. Throughout my career, I was never eliminated. I yelled at the referee to look at the big screen as I climbed back up. I knew that beating him would ruin my career, but I still wanted to do it. That was where I had to exercise self control.
After hearing from my cornerman that the outcome had been altered, I went to the medicals backstage area and was relieved that there had not been a knockout. I had assumed that there would be no contest, but he later declared a unanimous victory. It was beyond my comprehension. Even though he jabbed me in the third and second rounds, he still prevailed by unanimous decision.
Silva claimed that after seeing the fight again at the fighter’s hotel, he initially had second thoughts about Weidman and modified his attitude toward the situation.
Silva declared, “Chris Weidman acted in bad faith.”. “You can’t fight with your fingers pointing straight; instead, they should be up or closed, according to the referee who was speaking in the locker room. He pointed his fingers at my face the entire fight, but he didn’t stop celebrating like he had me out. “.
“You can’t drop to the ground like that if your eye gets poked,” Weidman stated in the post-fight interview, attributing Silva’s conduct to him. It is necessary for you to stand. That’s not how it works. After he committed that three times, it finally caught up with him. “.
Silva answered, “What did he want me to do, to smile at his face?”. “He poked his finger into my eye.”. It was not his eye; it was mine. It’s unbelievable to be reprimanded by the person who is at fault, don’t you think?
In the previous week’s Trocação Franca podcast episode of MMA Fighting, Silva showed reverence for Weidman as a legendary fighter in the sport, but he won’t be as amicable if they face off again.
“Despite trying to view it as a professional situation, I never liked Chris Weidman’s handling of Anderson Silva’s leg break,” Silva remarked. “I wasn’t directly acquainted with him.”. We meet one day prior to the weigh-ins, and although I had no intention of talking to him, he approached me, shook my hand, and wished me luck. We were there to fight, so there was no animosity during the bout, but after it was over, I was upset with the referee.
Nevertheless, he was incredibly disloyal when I saw the fight at the hotel, f***. Though there’s a chance that men will go extinct, he knows what he did. He would never concede that he was mistaken and that a rematch was possible. He isn’t going to do that. Not even that is what I expect. Individuals with integrity, only men, would take such a step. I won’t disrespect him here either, but when we fight again, it will be different. There won’t be any loyalty left. “.
