Fans bombarded former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman with calls to retire after a lopsided defeat at UFC 310.
Chris Weidman‘s latest UFC comeback didn’t go according to plan at UFC 310. After a back-and-forth first round with middleweight Eryk Anders, Weidman gassed out in Round 2, as Anders drowned him with ground-and-pound and wrestling control.
Despite a victory in his most recent fight ahead of UFC 310, Weidman looked every bit of 40 years old inside the Octagon. With 10 seconds left in Round 2, the referee stepped in to save Weidman from suffering additional damage from his back and waved off the fight.
Weidman’s initial protest of the stoppage wasn’t agreed upon on social media. After the loss, fans and pundits took to Twitter in attempts to encourage Weidman to hang up the gloves.
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Fans and pundits implore Chris Weidman to walk away after UFC 310
Here’s what UFC Twitter had to say about Weidman’s latest defeat.
This isn’t the first time the UFC community has come together to try to coerce Weidman into retiring. After a loss to Brad Tavares at UFC 292, which resulted in another leg injury, UFC CEO Dana White opined Weidman should walk away.
UFC 310 was a disappointing setback for Weidman after defeating Bruno Silva at UFC Atlantic City earlier this year. It was his first victory in four years, and his first triumphant showing since suffering a leg break against Uriah Hall at UFC 261.
Amidst a lengthy recovery, Weidman underwent a second surgery to repair the leg he broke against Hall, further postponing his fighting career.
Chris Weidman’s career a question mark after UFC 310 knockout loss
Weidman eventually made a miraculous return to the Octagon at UFC 292, losing to Tavares by unanimous decision. The former titleholder hasn’t looked the same since losing the middleweight belt to Luke Rockhold at UFC 194, ending his once-unbeaten reign.
During his prime, Weidman defeated the likes of Anderson Silva, Lyoto Machida, and Vitor Belfort inside the Octagon. His title victory against Silva at UFC 162 is regarded as one of the biggest upsets in combat sports history.
Despite calls for retirement, Weidman hasn’t made an announcement about his future, as of this writing. He didn’t take off his gloves ceremoniously in the Octagon, meaning he could potentially opt to compete at least one more time.
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