Anderson Silva Unfazed by Georges St. Pierre’s Endorsement of Chris Weidman at UFC 162

In March, St. Pierre was asked by Canada’s SportsNet to offer a prediction on Silva’s upcoming UFC 162 title defense against Chris Weidman, a request the welterweight champion obliged during a video interview.

“My friend, Chris Weidman, I see him in training, and I believe he is going to beat Anderson Silva,” said St. Pierre. “I believe it’s a bad matchup for Anderson Silva -- very bad. Not only is he going to beat him, I believe he’s going to finish Anderson Silva. I believe it’s not going to be too long, that fight. People will be shocked.

“Anderson is very smart, because Chris Weidman is coming back from an injury [after] a long layoff. So, it’s the time to fight him, right now. It’s going to be the best time to fight Chris Weidman, so Chris needs to make sure he is very well-prepared for this fight.”

On Tuesday, Silva responded to St. Pierre’s pick during a media conference call to promote his clash with Weidman, which takes place July 6 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas and airs live on pay-per-view.

“Imagine if I were to start listening to everything that people say,” Silva explained through a translator. “St. Pierre had his chance to pronounce himself about fighting me, and he didn’t do it. That’s what he chose to say, and that’s fine, but I’m not paying attention to what everyone else is saying.”

In Weidman, Silva faces arguably the toughest test of his 37-fight career. The unbeaten 29-year-old has posted nine straight wins in his four years a pro and has gone 5-0 during his UFC stint, most recently dispatching highly regarded Mark Munoz last July.

Meanwhile, the 38-year-old champion rides a 17-fight winning streak into his 11th middleweight title defense. Though Silva has shown respect for his younger challenger, “The Spider” said he is most concerned with improving his abilities as a fighter.

“Every new fight is a new challenge, and it will be up to whoever is better prepared and who feels better that night,” said Silva. “Win or lose, a loss and a win are always walking side by side. That doesn’t really matter, because I’ve been doing this since I was eight years old, and there are always new challenges. My biggest concern is going out there and doing better for myself. I’m not concerned about what my opponents do. I want to better myself.”