“When it rains, it pours, I guess.”
That’s how a distraught Chris Weidman tried to make sense of the right shoulder injury that has forced him out of his UFC 155 fight against Tim Boetsch. Newsday.com first reported the news Wednesday.
As a result, Weidman’s teammate Costa Philippou, who was scheduled to fight Nick Ring this weekend at UFC 154 until Ring wasn’t cleared to fight Saturday morning, will replace Weidman in the bout.
According to Weidman, he injured his shoulder while training at Power MMA in Arizona recently.
“My shoulder popped,” he said. “I never felt anything like it before. Now I can hardly move my arm.”
Weidman said he is awaiting a final diagnosis from his doctor, but the initial report is showing a torn labrum, with a possible shoulder dislocation or separation.
He has been told that following surgery, which will most likely be needed, he’ll be forced to sit on the sidelines for at least three-to-six months, however, he said he has yet to talk to his doctor about the recovery process.
The injury comes just weeks after Weidman’s Long Island, N.Y., home was ruined by Hurricane Sandy. Since then, Weidman and his family were forced to move in with his parents, and he traveled to Arizona last week to focus on training for Boetsch.
“My biggest fear was something happening to me before this fight,” Weidman said. “I wanted this fight so bad, what with the hurricane and our house, and on top of that, it’s the biggest fight of my career.
“Everything happens for a reason. Hopefully, this will be blessing.”
UFC 155, headlined by Junior dos Santos vs. Cain Velasquez 2, will take place Dec. 29 in Las Vegas.