UFC president Dana White announced on Thursday that Chris Weidman will have an immediate rematch with Luke Rockhold for the middleweight title in June, and former champion Anderson Silva, who reigned as 185-pound king in the UFC from 2006 to 2013, believes he deserves one.

"I think it’s fair," Silva told Passando a Guarda. "He was the champion, had good wins on his last fights, defeated tough opponents, and deserves respect from everyone, especially the other middleweights. He deserves this immediate rematch against Rockhold."

"The Spider" credits Rockhold’s fourth-round TKO win at UFC 194 to his cardio, persistence and technique.

"It was an interesting fight," Silva said. "Luke put some pressure that Weidman wasn’t used to. We haven’t seen him fight five rounds with quality. It’s hard to talk about this fight or criticize Weidman or Rockhold. They are both great fighters.

"Weidman had the opportunity to prove why he was the champion, and Rockhold proved why he’s the new champion. He was better prepared and surprised Weidman. Weidman is a great fighter with good jiu-jitsu and a modest striking, but Rockhold put some pressure and won with his persistence, cardio and technique."

The rematch is slated for UFC 199, and the Brazilian expects Weidman to come back better prepared.

"It’s a tough, tough fight," Silva said. "I believe Weidman will train the things he did wrong in the last fight, and it’s going to be a tougher fight for Rockhold."