This Saturday night, at UFC 168, the biggest rematch in the history of the sport will main event a stacked card from Las Vegas. Anderson Silva, the long time Middleweight champion, will battle against the man that knocked him out only 6 months prior, Chris Weidman.

In July, at UFC 162, the greatest fighter to ever step foot inside the Octagon stared across the cage at the rising 9-0 prospect, Chris Weidman. For the first time in a while, a true challenger rose up through the ranks to fight the reigning Middleweight champion. A little over 7 minutes later, the MMA world was in shock and awe as Anderson Silva was knocked out cold. Chris Weidman had dethroned the greatest champion in the history of the sport.

The fight on Saturday night is as monumental and historic as it gets in the fight game. Silva’s legacy, the Middleweight title, and so much more is on the line. The first fight left so many questions that will all be answered come Saturday night.

Today, I compile and breakdown some GIFs of the two main eventers, previewing their battle this weekend.

Anderson Silva

Credit: Zombie Prophet

Many believe that Anderson Silva was too cocky, or simply playing games inside the Octagon against Weidman at UFC 162, causing him to lose. While it is true that Silva may have gone too far, he has utilized a similar strategy in almost every fight he has had. In the GIF above, watch as Anderson coaxes Yushin Okami in by keeping his hands at his waist. The reason Anderson does this is because his head movement and timing is excellent, and likely the best you will ever see in the UFC. Okami jabs at Silva, trying to measure the distance for his next strike. When he moves in with another straight left, Anderson is ready and cracks him with right jab of his own, knocking Okami down in the process. Anderson’s abilities on the feet are simply jaw dropping.

Credit: Zombie Prophet

Another aspect of Silva’s game is his ridiculous accuracy and killer instinct. According to FightMetric, Silva lands his significant strikes at 68.4%, the best in UFC history. In the GIF above, Anderson pulls off a fantastic switch against Nate Marquardt with twenty seconds left in the round and goes in for the kill. Anderson’s accuracy is astonishing as he lands blow after blow directly to Marquardt’s face. Notice how the initial punch misses, but then Silva picks his shots, landing devastating hammerfists and punches to get the finish.

Credit: Zombie Prophet

The GIF above is yet another aspect of the genius that is Anderson Silva. Vitor Belfort and Anderson are stationary for just a moment, and Silva attacks with a front kick, cleaning Belfort’s clock in the process. The timing, the distance, and the power had to be just right for it to land in such devastating fashion. That is what makes Anderson Silva the best there is. When we thought he could not best his previous performances, Silva exceeded expectations with a kick that had never before been utilized inside the Octagon. Not only had it not been seen, but to pull it off against a striker like Belfort with such precision and power, it is a thing of mastery. Once again, Silva’s accuracy, unpredictability, and killer instinct are on display.

Chris Weidman

Credit: Zombie Prophet

Before Anderson Silva and Chris Weidman met back in July, many believed that Weidman would be able to submit Anderson in their first fight. Weidman himself said in the lead up to the fight that he would be looking to submit Silva. In the GIF above, you get a glimpse of the raw talent and expert skill of Chris Weidman’s jiu-jitsu. As Weidman attacks with a step in knee, Jesse Bongfeldt looks for a counter takedown. Weidman, who has a very strong base, avoids the the takedown, and locks in a standing guillotine. He arches his back in the opposite direction to put even more pressure on the choke, forcing Bongfeldt to tap.

Credit: Zombie Prophet

Chris Weidman is a deadly striker in his own right. After dominating Mark Munoz for the entire first round with his wrestling and grappling, Weidman decided to show off his striking in round 2. In the GIF above, Munoz wings a big right hand that Weidman ducks and perfectly counters with a standing elbow. The hellacious ground and pound post elbow is just another tool that Weidman has. Unfortunately, the stoppage marred the brilliance of Weidman’s performance just a bit. That being said, the timing and accuracy on the elbow is absolutely elite, and is the reason he was given the shot at Silva in the first place.

Credit: Zombie Prophet

Here it is, for everyone to see. The moment that Anderson Silva was finally caught, and taken out by another fighter. In the GIF above, Silva pretends to be hurt, but Weidman continues throwing his combination. Silva, whose head movement is usually exceptional, dodges the first few punches, but leans to the right too far and is cracked by a left hand from Weidman. Weidman pounces with accurate ground and pound, finishing the greatest fighter of all time. If Anderson attempts to do the same thing on Saturday night, will Weidman catch him again?

Final Thoughts: A couple integral aspects of the fight were left out of this GIF breakdown, and I will go through them below:

Anderson Silva’s jiu-jitsu: Anderson Silva is a black belt in jiu-jitsu in his own right. His 5th round triangle choke of Chael Sonnen back at UFC 117 was not only exceptional technique, but showed his heart as a champion.

Anderson’s speed advantage: Anderson is usually the faster fighter against his opponents, allowing him to put his hands at his waist and dip and dodge punches. We saw his speed advantage evident in his fights against Bonnar, Okami, Griffin, Belfort and more. Weidman showed in the first matchup that he can hang with Silva’s speed, and catch Silva where no other man could before.

Chris Weidman’s wrestling: Chris Weidman is an elite wrestler in MMA. That being said, Anderson’s take down defense is criminally underrated due to his first fight against Sonnen. If Weidman can keep Anderson down, he could possibly finish him with ground and pound or a submission. That being said, Anderson has shown that he can submit people from the bottom as well.

Ultimately, we will have to see what changes Anderson makes come Saturday night. Will he attempt to bait Weidman in again with his hands at his sides, or will he use proper defensive technique to open up his offensive capabilities? At the end of the day, I believe Anderson is the all around better fighter, but this is no cake walk. I think Anderson will adjust his gameplan just enough to avoid getting hit by another big shot, and will ultimately hurt Weidman with something on the feet, finishing him within the first three rounds.