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Chris Weidman rose from prospect to champion in near-record time, dethroning middleweight GOAT Anderson Silva in only his sixth fight in the promotion. But, following two title defenses he’s only had two wins in the Octagon and lost much of his prime to injury when he snapped his shin checking a Uriah Hall kick. Maybe it was karma since Anderson Silva suffered the same gruesome fate in his second bout with Weidman.
Weidman came back after more than two years off last August and suffered a decision loss to Brad Tavares at UFC 292 in August. Tavares sadistically targeted Weidman’s left leg with kicks throughout the bout and ultimately did fracture Weidman’s left leg.
He talked about it on his Sirius XM Fight Nation radio show: ““There was no ligament tears at all. So ACL, MCL, LCL, PCL, all those L’s that you don’t want to tear because that’s like six months to a year of recovery … What did happen to me though is, I have a fracture on my left leg. So I guess he broke my leg with one of those leg kicks … But I’m pretty sure that’s when my leg broke, fractured … Recovery-wise, it’s not bad at all. Four weeks. Four week recovery. That’s it.”
Ex-UFC champ Chris Weidman admits next fight may be his last
Weidman is now booked to face Bruno Silva on an upcoming Fight Night.
In a recent conversation with Daniel Cormier, the Serra-Longo talent admitted that his bout with the hard hitting Brazilian may very well be the last of his career.
“Honestly, I wasn’t sure either [if I’d fight again],” Weidman admitted, speaking of his horrific leg break. “I’m setting myself up for the future and I wasn’t sure. I was just kind of listening to my body, trying to get healthy. Mentally and motivational wise and technique wise, I still think I’m top in the world but my body’s just taking a beating.
“This could be my last fight but I’m going to kind of make that decision throughout the training camp, see how I feel, if my body can handle a hard training camp again. It might be the last one, it might not be.”
Weidman took fight for early career nostalgia
The matchup seems pretty good for Weidman, but that’s not why he’s fighting the noted brawler.
“The reason why I took this fight pretty quickly, I didn’t even matter who it was is because it was offered and it was offered in Atlantic City,” Weidman explained. “That’s where I started my career in Atlantic City. Because at the time, MMA wasn’t legal in New York. All the New York guys had to fight in Ring of Combat in Atlantic City, Jersey. I just think it would be pretty cool to go back there where it all started and see how I feel.”
UFC Atlantic City is booked for Boardwalk Hall on March 30, 2024. In addition to Weidman vs Silva, the card will also feature a few interesting bouts. Here’s the card so far:
- Women’s Strawweight bout: Virna Jandiroba vs. Loopy Godinez
- Middleweight bout: Andre Petroski vs. Jacob Malkoun
- Middleweight bout: Chris Weidman vs. Bruno Silva
- Featherweight bout: Connor Matthews vs. Dennis Buzukja
- Light Heavyweight bout: Dominick Reyes vs. Carlos Ulberg
- Bantamweight bout: Angel Pacheco vs. Caolan Loughran
- Welterweight bout: Chidi Njokuani vs. Rhys McKee