UFC 168: Chris Weidman is now ‘100-percent healthy' for rematch against ‘serious’ Anderson Silva

What if I told you that Chris Weidman wasn't feeling 100-percent going into his Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight title fight against Anderson Silva at UFC 162 last July in Las Vegas, Nevada?

You'd probably call me a liar, considering the outcome.

"All American" shocked the world by knocking out the former pound-for-pound king in the second round, ending "The Spider's" long-standing reign in the 185-pound division and proved that, despite popular belief, the Brazilian bomber was indeed human after all.

And he did it all feeling "sluggish" and not 100-percent, thanks to two surgeries he went through a few months prior to the "Sin City" showdown. I guess that evens out the playing field, considering that many felt Silva only lost due to the fact that he was "acting inappropriately" inside the cage.

But, ahead of his much-anticipated rematch at UFC 168 on Dec. 28, 2013, Weidman is confident he will be more comfortable and healthier inside the cage when he takes on the "serious" version of "The Spider."

He explained during his recent appearance on "The MMA Hour:"

"I'm expecting a war, just like I expected the first one. I'm going to be going for the finish. I expect to feel better in this fight, I won't have to deal with coming off two surgeries. I just feel like a was a bit sluggish in that last fight; didn't really feel 100-percent myself, but I got the 'W,' which is good, but in this next fight I feel like I will be a bit more comfortable and confident to go out there and do what I gotta do."

He continues:

"I knew going into this fight that I was going to have to fight him again and that's what I wanted. If there wasn't a lot of doubters right now, this next fight wouldn't be something that people want to see. But, there are a lot of people that can't fathom Anderson Silva actually losing to anybody. So, that fact that I got him and knocked him out while he was doing his taunting that he does in every one of his fights; people are just going to say that he wasn't serious. So, I guess the ‘serious Silva' is going to come out on December 28 and we will see if I got lucky or not."

Indeed, Silva's Octagon antics have been branded the main reason he is no longer the ruler of the division.

Just don't tell this guy.

Nevertheless, the Brazilian will undoubtedly be out to prove he is "back" by reclaiming his title after taking out the only man who has had an answer for his impenetrable defense and spectacular offense.

And he'll have to be in "serious" mode because he'll be stepping into the Octagon against a man who knocked him silly, despite the fact that he wasn't fighting at full strength and full speed.