UFC 162: Brazil vs. USA as Anderson Silva prepares for Chris Weidman assault If you look at the Vitor Belfort kick, what he did to Vitor, when Stephan Bonnar throws that spinning back kick and he steps to the side and then steps back in. He put his hands down and letting him hit him. I mean the s**t that this guy does. The list goes on and on. Silva, White indicated this week, has his sights set on a superfight next, either up or down a division. "The guy is amazing," White said about Silva. I think every time this guy goes out there he has some crazy, weird way to challenge himself, and just kind of play with things. You know how confident you've got to be in your abilities, and your chin, and your skills and your age and all that stuff, and how absolutely bad ass you've got to be to do the things that this guy does. So, to the fight itself. Many insiders believe Weidman has the perfect skill set - and perhaps fearlessness - to overcome the imperious Brazilian. If Silva is able to impose his will and make it a striking/kickboxing match, it is hard to see a way out for Weidman. Therefore, the American will need to close the space, apply pressure, and get inside. Takedowns, as per the Chael Sonnen blueprint, will be the key to his success. The All-American wrestler will need to use his groundwork, and exceptional jiu-jitsu to control the ground-fighting. In his armoury, of course, greater than that of Sonnen, is his ground and pound. But will he be able to get beyond the presence of the man standing in front of him, making his eleventh defence of the UFC middleweight crown? To his advantage in his mindset, is that he has never lost as a professional mixed martial artist. Silva will be fluid and languid, moving and circling, attempting to avoid takedowns. Counter-striking in this contest will be the key to his success. On stats alone, Silva has had more title defences than Weidman has had career fights. What that means, of course, is that Silva has experience in abundance Weidman, coolness under pressure, in the manner he demonstrated to defeat Sonnen in their first encounter, having been under intense pressure for the entire fight, only to pull out a submission victory in the closing minutes. As the Las Vegas strip hums to the excitement of the build-up, with the American nation having enjoy July 4 Independence Day, the sport's die-hards are busily discussing the fight at the two - day Fan Expo at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. For my part, Silva may have to weather some periods of pressure early in the contest, but may have far too much speed in the strikes, particularly in countering, and sublime movement for the challenger. And if Weidman wins, there is only one thing next: an immediate re-match with Silva. It's an important night for Norman Parke, the Northern Irishman and winner of TUF: The Smashes, who makes his debut on a full UFC card against the Japanese fighter Kazuki Tadukome at lightweight. Parke looks ripped and is in fine fettle after a honing off camp with Team Alliance, in San Diego, under the guidance of Eric Del Fierro, the coach who has done so much for stand-out British lightweight Ross Pearson, also a TUF winner. GAD picks: UFC middleweight title: Anderson Silva (c) vs Chris Weidman. SILVA Featherweight: Frankie Edgar vs. Charles Oliveira. EDGAR Middleweight: Tim Kennedy vs. Roger Gracie. GRACIE Middleweight: Mark Muñoz vs. Tim Boetsch. MUNOZ Featherweight: Cub Swanson vs. Dennis Siver. Listen to this week's ESPN UFC PODCAST as Gareth A Davies is joined by UFC middleweight Luke Barnatt to break down the UFC 162 card, and Chris Weidman joins to give his thoughts on the biggest night of his sporting life: http://es.pn/18sPTcZ