Chris Weidman recovering from second surgery to repair broken leg suffered at UFC 261

Chris Weidman is on the road to recovery once again. The former UFC middleweight champion underwent a second surgery this week to correct the…

By: Kristen King | 2 years ago
Chris Weidman recovering from second surgery to repair broken leg suffered at UFC 261
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Chris Weidman is on the road to recovery once again.

The former UFC middleweight champion underwent a second surgery this week to correct the broken tibia and fibula he suffered during his fight against Uriah Hall at UFC 261 earlier this year. The first surgery resulted in Weidman getting a titanium rod placed in his leg, which appeared to be the right course of action as the ‘All-American’ made significant strides in his recovery process early on. He was already walking without the use of crutches and even engaged in some boxing and light sparring just a few weeks after the procedure, but would suffer an unfortunate setback.

Weeks ago, Weidman revealed to MMA Today on Sirius XM that his tibia and fibula were not healing properly. This was undoubtedly a concerning development to his doctors and, after speaking with them and weighing all of his possible options, the decision to undergo another surgery was made.

Weidman took to social media on Thursday to provide an update following its completion.

“Surgery went well,” said Weidman. “I feel really good about this surgery. Even like crutching myself into this bedroom, such a better experience than from the last surgery. I could bend my knee because they didn’t put the rod through it. The surgery was supposed to be anywhere between an hour and two hours, [but] it ended up being three hours. There were some things that went down in there that they didn’t forsee happening and they had to make some changes, which I’ll get into.

“I’m just happy,” continued Weidman. “I feel like this is going to be a way quicker recovery and way less painful. I feel like I made the right decision and yeah. So, we’re good.”

Weidman explained that the surgery was longer than originally anticipated because his doctors found more issues with the fibula that required “more hardware” than the intended plate and screws he was prepared to get. Weidman also said that more details from the surgery would be coming soon, but wanted to spend some time recuperating before providing them.

A timeline for recovery from the second surgery was not provided by Weidman, who still intends on returning to competition once he is fully recovered.

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About the author
Kristen King
Kristen King

Kristen King is a writer for Bloody Elbow. She has covered combat sports since 2016, getting her start with outlets such as FanSided, MyMMANews and MMA-Prospects. She joined the BE team in 2020, covering a mix of news, events and injuries. In her time with BE, Kristen has created ‘Fright of the Night,’ a series that highlights some of the worst injuries in the sport.

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