Chris Weidman looking to return this year after horrific leg break
Despite suffering one of the most brutal and shocking injuries to ever take place inside the octagon, former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman is planning a return to competition this year.
The “All American” Weidman sustained a leg break while throwing a kick to Uriah Hall in their UFC 261 rematch in April 2021. The former champion’s leg snapped, causing him to fall to the canvas in agony.
The injury, nearly identical to that of Anderson Silva’s when he fought Weidman in 2013, was hard to watch and could be considered “career ending,” but that does not appear to be the case here once again.
“I want to fight before I turn 38 in June,” Weidman revealed on The Fighter vs. The Writer. “That’s my goal. I hate seeing the older age on the screen when I get introduced. I’ve always been like that, even when I was in my 20s. I don’t want to be 29, I want to be 28 for the next one. So, I still have that in me a little bit, now I’m just way older. So, if I could fight around early June, that would be great. Again, there’s a lot in the air and it’s very unpredictable.
“This is a very serious injury. I’ve been through lots of injuries before, obviously you know I’ve had 25 surgeries. This is very different. There’s a lot of moving parts. So, I have goals when I’d like to fight but I’m not going to die over a month or two difference. I am coming back, and I am coming back in 2022.”
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The break that occurred was labeled as a “compound fracture,” meaning part of the bone poked through the skin on Weidman’s leg. The New York native would undergo surgery the following day where he had a rod inserted into his leg to help stabilize his frame. The former champion would undergo a second surgery several months later but has since returned to training.
Best wishes to Chris Weidman as he attempts to make another run at UFC gold.
