The news from Chris Weidman keeps getting better.
Chris Weidman continues to surpass recovery expectations after undergoing surgery to repair the broken leg he sustained against Uriah Hall at UFC 261 earlier this year. Having a completely broken tibia and fibula that required the use of a titanium rod was supposed to leave Weidman indisposed for months, but the ‘All-American’ has been up and about in just a few weeks.
About a month ago, Weidman shared that he was able to walk and stand for a long period of time. A highlight in the recovery process was documented on his YouTube channel, where he is seen taking his first steps on an anti-gravity treadmill. The former UFC middleweight champion had a ways to go, but what was shown was encouraging.
Weidman recently provided another recovery update during an appearance on the Believe You Me podcast with Michael Bisping, and it is certainly the most positive one to date. Weidman said he returned to the gym this week and partook in some light work that included boxing and play sparring.
“It’s been pretty damn brutal, as you can imagine,” said Weidman. “It completely sucks, but I will say — this is breaking news — I was actually in the gym today and I boxed a little bit. I figured I was going to go to the gym and probably hit the bag for like a minute and then put my leg up, elevate it and just chill out. Just be happy to be in the gym, but there was some guys around and we started play sparring and I’m like, ‘Man, this is awesome!’ It felt so good to be back in the gym. Yeah, so that was a big day for me. It’s been a crazy road.”
Although he is doing much better in his recuperation, Weidman revealed he is not fully healed yet as his bone is still very much fractured according to the most recent x-rays he had done. There are some concerns he has that would spell the end of his professional career as a mixed martial artist, but Weidman is more of an optimist than a pessimist.
“It is a little scary, but I also have confidence in myself that no matter what ends up happening, I’ll be great at whatever I want to do.”
Weidman explained what he has been doing in physical therapy lately, with more of the focus being put on the mobility of his ankle. The goal at the moment is to walk as normal as possible, which he is well on his way to doing.
He also talked about why he chooses to push himself a little harder throughout this process, even if it means enduring more pain than necessary.
“Right now, I go to the physical therapist three times a week and they work with me,” said Weidman. “The big thing right now is getting ankle mobility back so I can bend my foot the right way and learn to walk without a limp and to try to be on my feet as much as possible. The more I’m on my feet, the more weight-bearing, the more likely the bone is going to heal, so that’s why I’m really pushing it and doing more than what people expect is because I know that if I push through the pain now, it just means there’s more blood getting to that area and it’s more likely to heal.”
There is no timetable for when Weidman returns to competition, but it is obvious that he wants to come back eventually.
“I’m trying to give myself the best shot of doing what I believe I could do,” said Weidman. “I mean, I felt so good before this last fight and I would hate to see it just wither away because of this. So, I’m giving myself the best shot and we’ll see what happens. If I get back to the gym and my body is telling me this is not an option, then it’s not an option and I’ll figure it out. But I’m pretty confident I’ll be good.”