Renzo Gracie finally talks about Silva/Weidman: “The Boy was fading.”

Quote :

This kid [Weidman] is very dangerous, he was always very dangerous. Every time he fights, he wins. Early in the bout, when Chris was in control, he did everything he wanted, but couldn’t win, so Anderson gained great confidence. He thought it would be a walk in the park and then he began to play. And the boy [Weidman] really was fading, he was tired because he did everything (pushing the pace) during the first round. He had side control, he was attacking… and when Anderson saw him fading, he thought: “Now I’m gonna give a show”. The problem is that this sport is not the place for that. In this sport you have to win.

I’m sure the people who were in his corner said: “Go out there and win”, but he decided to do what was on his mind, he was joking, shaking … And if you notice, this kid has a very big star (luck). Whenever he is in trouble, he manages to win. When he attacked, Anderson lost his balance when he was mocking him, and had no way to defend himself. And then he got caught with a punch to the chin. And when that happens there’s no way out, you go to sleep, your brain turns off.

“The longer the fight, the worst it would be to Chris, I was seeing it. He began to fade, but Anderson didn’t manage to take [the fight] seriously. He began to mock Chris. It was over the top (exaggerated), because you can’t belittle your opponent. If you’re confident enough to do this kind of thing, go and finish the fight. Go for the KO or for the submission. You just can’t stand there dancing and not go for the win. Are you gonna stay there to give a show to others?”

“I was [there] in the fight against Demian. Anderson’s behavior in this fight (against Weidman) was worse. It was more aggressive and more insulting than on that occasion. The words he was using … It was insulting … And this is something he shouldn’t do.

He is the champion, he is an example in the sport. He has a fantastic history as UFC fighter and should be respectful and act in a proper manner.
I gave an interview before the fight telling him to change his ways, but it didn’t happen. Unfortunately, it’s stuck in his soul and it comes out from there, right? And that’s what caused his defeat today (it costed his victory).

“No doubt it affects you mentally. You’re trying to fight, to attack the guy and he is dancing, he isn’t keeping his hands high, he lets you hit his face… that’s a thing that really breaks you mentally. Chris had a break of pace, but not because of the way Anderson was fighting, but because he got tired, he was pushing the pace during the entire first round. And when you start like that, you need to slow down or the train derails”.

“Anderson is a great champion, all he has to do is put his head in the right place and remember when he was a kid who was working hard in order to get where he is now, and be that boy again. When you begin to lose sight of who you are, you start to fall into traps like this. Life comes to collect”.

source

Quote :

I’m sure the people who were in his corner said: “Go out there and win”, but he decided to do what was on his mind, he was joking, shaking … And if you notice, this kid has a very big star (luck). Whenever he is in trouble, he manages to win. When he attacked, Anderson lost his balance when he was mocking him, and had no way to defend himself. And then he got caught with a punch to the chin. And when that happens there’s no way out, you go to sleep, your brain turns off.

“The longer the fight, the worst it would be to Chris, I was seeing it. He began to fade, but Anderson didn’t manage to take [the fight] seriously. He began to mock Chris. It was over the top (exaggerated), because you can’t belittle your opponent. If you’re confident enough to do this kind of thing, go and finish the fight. Go for the KO or for the submission. You just can’t stand there dancing and not go for the win. Are you gonna stay there to give a show to others?”

“I was [there] in the fight against Demian. Anderson’s behavior in this fight (against Weidman) was worse. It was more aggressive and more insulting than on that occasion. The words he was using … It was insulting … And this is something he shouldn’t do.

I didn't notice Weidman fading, but this whole section sounds exactly like what I have been trying to say. Weidman caught him right in the middle of doing his little dance and he had absolutely no chance of getting out of the way. Just a really dumb decision to keep doing that over and over again in such a blatant and constant way.
Maybe, like Renzo said, Silva felt Weidman begin to fade, and figured if he kept making Weidman swing and swing and swing, Weidman would have nothing left on his punches soon, and then Silva could pick him apart at his leisure without worrying about getting caught with a hard punch. That's fine, but it would have been just as effective for Silva if would have just stuck to leaning and evading, instead of clowning around and dancing. It wasn't necessary, but he chose to do it, and paid for it.

Quote :

Early in the bout, when Chris was in control, he did everything he wanted, but couldn’t win, so Anderson gained great confidence. He thought it would be a walk in the park and then he began to play. And the boy [Weidman] really was fading, he was tired because he did everything (pushing the pace) during the first round. He had side control, he was attacking… and when Anderson saw him fading, he thought: “Now I’m gonna give a show”.

This kind of makes me think of what Chael apparently said to Dana after his 2nd fight with Silva, something like "I felt him break, but then he came back. I've never felt anyone do that before". Weidman put it on Silva as best he could on the ground, but Silva survived. Unfortunately for Silva this time, he wasn't as out of the woods as he thought he was after the 1st round.