UFC welterweight contender Stephen Thompson has revealed that former middleweight champion Chris Weidman has returned to training.
Weidman has been out of action since suffering a brutal injury at UFC 261 in April this year. Having gone 1-5 after defending his 185-pound gold for the third time against Vitor Belfort in 2015 and extending his unblemished record to 13-0, the New York native rebounded against Omari Akhmedov last August.
Looking to make a charge back towards title contention, Weidman was matched up with Uriah Hall on the main card of the UFC’s first event in front of a sold-out crowd in over a year. Unfortunately for the fans in attendance, they witnessed one of the promotion’s worst injuries. After just 17 seconds, the 37-year-old suffered a gruesome broken leg after throwing the very first strike of the fight.
Thompson Has A Former Champion Back In His Camp
After multiple surgeries, Weidman is now deep into his recovery, and is even back in training, according to his brother-in-law Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson. The perennial welterweight contender recently appeared on Submission Radio to discuss his upcoming second fight of 2021.
Thompson had hoped to jump close to a title shot when he faced Gilbert Burns at UFC 264 in July. However, the veteran was unable to keep the fight on the feet, and fell to a unanimous decision defeat against the Brazilian. Despite the disappointing setback, “Wonderboy” says he had no issue getting over it, and is excited to bring a new mindset and strategy to his next outing, which will come against Belal Muhammad at the UFC’s December 18 event.
“It was easy (to move on from the Burns loss). Number one, my first mistake fighting out there with Gilbert was not keeping him on his heels. I was kind of hesitating too much… I’ve made some adjustments with my takedown defense and my reaction time; being a little bit more aggressive, keeping him (Muhammad) on his heels.”
One man who’s sure to aid Thompson’s takedown defense is Weidman. “Wonderboy” revealed that his compatriot is back in training, and will be heavily involved in his ongoing camp.
“You learn, man. It was easy for me. I’m excited about this fight, and I’m confident right now in my takedown defense. I’ve got Chris Weidman coming in. Chris Weidman’s back y’all. He’s back in training, he’s gonna be helping me out for this camp, so I’m excited.”
Despite falling down the queue for an opportunity to dethrone Kamaru Usman, Thompson is still determined to mount a late charge to the welterweight mountaintop. If the 38-year-old is to do so, he’ll have to get past fan-favorite Muhammad next month.
Who do you think will have their hand raised on December 18, Stephen Thompson or Belal Muhammad?
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