Anderson Silva Says Chris Weidman Shouldn’t Underestimate Vitor Belfort

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Anderson Silva has warned UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman, not to take his next challenger lightly.

Weidman, who beat Silva twice last year, is expected to defend the middleweight belt in February against former light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort, and Silva sees “The Phenom” as a viable threat to become the new champion.

“In my opinion, Vitor is the most complete fighter at 185 pounds,” Silva told the Brazilian media in a press conference in Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday. “The most explosive, with the best boxing, good jiu-jitsu and wrestling. Weidman is young, (part of) the new generation, and is coming strong. It’s a fight everybody wants to see. I will root for Vitor to win, obviously.”

“When I had the title, I always said that the title was ours. Being in Brazil, it’s all right,” he added. “When you have two Brazilians fighting for the title, it’s because we’re good at what we do. I will root for Vitor.”