Former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman is going to the gym on a regular basis, hitting pads and working out with his teammates. When he’s not working up a sweat on the mats, the “All American” is out playing 18 holes of golf.
Not bad for a guy with a broken leg.
Weidman, who snapped his leg completely in half by kicking Uriah Hall at the UFC 261 pay-per-view (PPV) event back in April, Still has metal rods holding him together and is working toward getting the blood supply back to his injured leg.
If not, bad things will happen.
“There’s still a lot of things I’m going to have to deal with,” Weidman told MMA Fighting. “Like even taking out that piece of bone that’s floating in there, that’s the most minimal thing I’m thinking about but it’s something. The blood supply coming back to my leg completely is the big thing — I’m not even worried about it but that would be the biggest issue. That would mean amputation. So let’s just keep praying that I get full blood supply back.”
It’s a road Weidman, 37, has been down before.
“That’s exactly what happened to my thumb,” Weidman continued. I have a hip bone that’s in this thumb right here because bone did deteriorate and blood supply did not come back after I fought Kelvin Gastelum. The tibia bone it’s the most likely bone not to take and to have issues getting blood supply coming back after breaking it. I figured I kicked it as hard as I can and I know I kick hard so it’s a very traumatic fracture. That being said, I think I’m good. The doctor said he thinks there is some healing going on in there and there’s some rebuilding of bone so that’s a very good sign.”
Weidman (15-6) plans to make a full recovery and find his way back to mixed martial arts (MMA) in late 2022, following in the footsteps of fighters like Anderson Silva and Corey Hill, who suffered similar leg injuries, though it’s a decision that could be out of his control.
“I’m trying to control everything I can control on my own,” Weidman said. “That’s all I can do and stay positive. Keep praying. That’s really all I can do. I’m eating healthy now, I’m on this new diet. A diet that really fights against inflammation, I guess an anti-inflammation diet is the best way to explain it. I’m up on my leg like my doctor told me to so I’m doing everything I possibly can. We’ll see what happens.”
Weidman is just 2-5 since losing his 185-pound title to Luke Rockhold back in late 2015.