Ray Longo, striking coach at Team Serra-Longo, recently stated that his undefeated pupil Chris Weidman (9-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) is on a ‘different level’ when compared to UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva’s previous opponents.

 Here is what Ray had to say during his appearance on “The MMA Hour”:

“I tell you what, the guy (Silva) is where he’s at for a reason. When I look at him, the guy is absolutely phenomenal. We’re not discounting anything. The way I’m breaking it down in my head is, can a 40 year-old man stop this young, talented, strong, huge, technical, confident kid from dumping him on his head. This guy (Weidman) is a beast and I think the age might play a little factor in this. I’m not sure there is a guy in the United States that can stop this guy from dumping him on his head at that age. He’s that good, he really is. That’s not bullshit. He’s technical, he’s strong, he’s confident. He’s got the attributes to win this fight and I think everyone knows that if that fight hits the ground, it’s going to be a different story. Getting it there, well we’re going to see what happens on July 6th. Weidman is a big, strong, technical kid that we’ve put in with technical boxers, southpaws and he’s passed the tests. He deserves to be here. Everybody is going to find something out on July 6th, I don’t know who is going to be more surprised in the Octagon, Anderson or Chris, but he’ s not going to be mentally defeated before he goes in there and he’s got the flight time now to get what he wants. Stylistically, we believe Weidman is a tough fight for him. I’m not saying age is the only factor, because with age comes experience. And if you watch his fights, he’s a calm and calculated striker. Never gets flustered, this guy is no joke. I just believe the guys he’s beat aren’t on Chris’s level. Standing or on the floor.”

Those previous opponents included the likes of Vitor Belfort, Dan Henderson and Rich Franklin, just to name a few. So it’s a bold statement to say the least, but one that Longo is confident will be proven true this weekend at UFC 162.