I’m pretty sure that I’ve already made my opinion clear that the Weidman hype for him beating Anderson Silva is a promotional move and that it probably isn’t working, in fact, it’s crummy for business if Weidman wins. I know that many people aren’t convinced of this, but here is one of the industry’s foremost insiders, Dave Meltzer, discussing the promotion for this event and how it isn’t working.
Not every fighter predicted Weidman would win, but roughly a dozen did. The rest hedged their bets somewhat. Not one predicted Silva would win. Still, the odds have grown over the past week to where Silva is now a strong 5-to-2 favorite as a consensus, and as much as 10-to-3 in some places. The story UFC has wanted top tell is that the insiders, the ones who know the best, believe the guy not only has a shot at beating Silva, but should actually be expected to do so. But the growing odds in favor of Silva indicate the public isn’t buying it.