Tag: Chris Weidman

Chris Weidman: I Know I Can Shock The World Again

Despite his horrific injury last year, former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman is as hungry as ever to find success inside the Octagon. In the immediate aftermath of the UFC 261 pay-per-view in April 2021, not many would have expected us to be in a position to discuss a return to fighting for Weidman. At…

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Despite his horrific injury last year, former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman is as hungry as ever to find success inside the Octagon.

In the immediate aftermath of the UFC 261 pay-per-view in April 2021, not many would have expected us to be in a position to discuss a return to fighting for Weidman.

At the event, which represented the return of fans after a lengthy spell behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Weidman ran it back with former rival Uriah Hall. While he emerged victorious in their 2010 Ring of Combat clash, the rematch was to end significantly less positively for the two-time Division l All-American.

After 17 seconds, Weidman threw the first and last strike of the main card contest. When he stood back and crumpled to the mat, it was clear all was not well. Weidman had suffered a gruesome leg break, reminiscent of the injury Anderson Silva suffered against him eight years prior.

A certain level of immunity to injury and blood comes with the task of being a fight fan. But you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who didn’t grimace at the sight of this one.

Weidman: “I Haven’t Slowed Down”

After multiple surgeries and intense rehab, Weidman is nearly back to full fitness. While he admits his leg isn’t 100% healed yet and still needs to develop enough strength to where he’ll feel confident pushing off it again, the 37-year-old is back sparring and open to discussing his comeback.

While some will undoubtedly question the motivation behind a return given the fact he’s already experienced championship status in the UFC, Weidman feels as good as ever and hasn’t lost his hunger and desire to compete.

During a recent appearance on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Weidman suggested he still has what it takes to beat the best of the best at middleweight. The New York native, who knows a thing or two about upsetting the odds, firmly believes he can “shock the world again.”

“I honestly feel great man. I’m not coming back just to get a fight and show people that you can come back from tough things,” said Weidman. “It’s more that I really do think I’m in a very selective group of top guys in the world in this division, and I can beat any of those guys on any night.

“I haven’t slowed down somehow. I’m in there with some really good guys in the gym and if I start seeing that I don’t have what I used to be, and I don’t see myself progressing and getting better and better every day, man, I wouldn’t be doing this,” Weidman continued. “I’m not doing this for the money, I’m not doing this for the glory, I’m doing this because I love to train and I love to do this. I love to compete against the best guys in the world, and I know I can do it; I can shock the world again.”

Prior to his devastating injury, Weidman had rebounded from a two-fight skid by earning a unanimous decision win against Omari Akhmedov. He’ll no doubt be hoping to pick up where he left off in that fight when he returns to action, which he believes could be as early as July.

Given the recent championship crowning of 42-year-old Glover Teixeira, who dethroned 38-year-old Jan Blachowicz at UFC 267 last October, a late surge for Israel Adesanya’s gold isn’t as hard to picture as it perhaps used to be.

Do you think Chris Weidman can return to his best following his injury?

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Chris Weidman Planning On 2022 Return To The UFC

Chris WeidmanFormer UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman remains focused on a triumphant return to the cage later this year. Weidman suffered a horrific leg break in his fight against Uriah Hall at UFC 261 last year. He’s been working his way back to training in MMA but suffered a setback just months ago, delaying his comeback. […]

Chris Weidman

Former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman remains focused on a triumphant return to the cage later this year.

Weidman suffered a horrific leg break in his fight against Uriah Hall at UFC 261 last year. He’s been working his way back to training in MMA but suffered a setback just months ago, delaying his comeback.

During a recent interview with MMA Fighting, Weidman provided an update on his injury and where he’s at in his process back to the octagon.

Chris Weidman Remains Committed To UFC Comeback

“I want to fight before I turn 38 in June,” Weidman said. “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.”

Before his injury, Weidman earned an impressive win over Omari Akhmedov in his middleweight return. He had lost his light heavyweight debut against Dominick Reyes in late 2019.

Weidman has lost six of his last eight and the chances of him making another title run are relatively low. But, the fact that he’s able to fully recover from his brutal leg break is impressive in itself.

Who do you want to see Chris Weidman fight for his UFC return?

Report: Chris Weidman Hopes To Return To Action This Summer

Chris Weidman’s first appearance since a gruesome leg injury could come later this year.

The former UFC Middleweight Champion wants to return to action in the summer, per a recent Substack article by Ariel Helwani. The return would mark his first a…

Chris Weidman

Chris Weidman’s first appearance since a gruesome leg injury could come later this year.

The former UFC Middleweight Champion wants to return to action in the summer, per a recent Substack article by Ariel Helwani. The return would mark his first appearance in over a year and would end his time dealing with one of the more graphic injuries in recent history.

Weidman suffered a brutal leg injury in April 2021, causing his fight against Uriah Hall to end in just 17 seconds. The broken leg injury forced him to be stretchered out of the arena at UFC 261 and caused him to undergo two different surgeries later in the year.

After his second surgery, which he says was three hours in total, Weidman told MMA Fighting that he was optimistic about the next steps.

“I’m just happy. I feel like this is going to be a way quicker recovery and way less painful,” said Weidman in August. “I feel like I made the right decision.”

The History Of Weidman In The UFC

Chris Weidman Anderson Silva
Image Credit: Donald Miralle/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Weidman, 37, has now been on the UFC roster for over a decade. He first joined the promotion in 2011 as an undefeated fighter. His most notable fight was a knockout victory over Anderson Silva in 2013, which made him the UFC middleweight champion.

In a rematch, Silva lost to Weidman due to a leg injury that was quite similar to the one Weidman suffered against Hall. He would defend the belt three times in total before losing it to Luke Rockhold in 2015.

Weidman has struggled since losing his championship. In his last five fights, he has come up successful in two bouts. His last win was a unanimous decision victory over Omari Akhmedov in 2020.

Are you surprised that Chris Weidman is already eyeing a return?

Continue Reading Report: Chris Weidman Hopes To Return To Action This Summer at MMA News.

Chris Weidman Advises Jake Paul: ‘Fight Anderson Silva’

Jake PaulJake Paul was able to extend his unbeaten record further following his devastating KO over Tyron Woodley. Post-fight, ‘The Problem Child’ took this as an opportunity to try and line up his next opponent calling out multiple different fighters who are currently under the UFC Banner. The likes of Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal were […]

Jake Paul

Jake Paul was able to extend his unbeaten record further following his devastating KO over Tyron Woodley. Post-fight, ‘The Problem Child’ took this as an opportunity to try and line up his next opponent calling out multiple different fighters who are currently under the UFC Banner.

The likes of Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal were two of the names mentioned however as many of us are aware, it’s extremely unlikely Dana White is going to allow either fighter for a one-off boxing match, especially if it doesn’t make sense financially. However, there is one name that does make sense, who is a former UFC fighter and therefore no longer under contract.

Chris Weidman believes Jake Paul should challenge himself next against an opponent who he knows very well in former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva. Weidman spoke on the Wont Back Down Podcast giving Paul advice on who he should face as his next opponent.

“I would love to see him fight Anderson Silva; he’s calling out all these fighters with UFC contracts. I don’t think he’s really – none of those are really going to happen at this point.”

“The UFC would have to get behind it almost like a Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather type match. But unless you’re drawing in $500 million like the Mayweather and Conor McGregor fights were doing, the UFC’s not doing that because they want to split it. They would split it, but if it’s not that type of money, they’re not doing it. So (we’re) wasting our time even talking about (Nate) Diaz, (Jorge) Masvidal and (Kamaru) Usman.” (Transcribed by MMA Junkie)

Jake Paul vs Anderson Silva?

Although ‘The Spider’ is no longer the competitor he used to be at 46 years old, he has taken very well to boxing and his excellent technique still prevails. Silva currently holds a 3-1 record with a victory over former WBC Middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Silva would put on a display in his last outing by stopping Tito Ortiz in 80 seconds back in September. Silva’s sleek striking and movement could provide Jake Paul with his biggest test to date.

How do you think a fight between Jake Paul and Anderson Silva plays out?

Weidman Says Woodley’s Legacy Is Tarnished After KO Loss To Jake Paul

Chris Weidman believes Tyron Woodley’s legacy took a massive hit when he suffered a vicious KO loss to Jake Paul earlier this month.

In August, Woodley dropped a split decision to the former Disney actor and YouTuber. Although the former UFC champ …

Jake Paul, Tyron Woodley, Chris Weidman

Chris Weidman believes Tyron Woodley’s legacy took a massive hit when he suffered a vicious KO loss to Jake Paul earlier this month.

In August, Woodley dropped a split decision to the former Disney actor and YouTuber. Although the former UFC champ lost, it wasn’t an embarrassing defeat. But in the rematch, he was brutally knocked out. For Weidman, he believes that hurts Woodley’s legacy in a major way. (h/t Sportskeeda)

“Damn, Tyron Woodley is going to have to live with that. It seems like they’re just comparing him to Ben Askren now,” Weidman said on his YouTube channel. “He’s not going to get another chance, like that’s it. I don’t know who he’s going to fight that we give him the draw and excitement that he would need to like elevate him back… I think his legacy has definitely been tarnished, which sucks to say.”

Jake Paul, Tyron Woodley
Jake Paul, Tyron Woodley, Credit: AP Photo

Weidman is not the first UFC fighter to say this KO loss hurts Woodley’s legacy. Overall, Woodley has now lost his last six fights, four in MMA and two in boxing. Coming off back-to-back losses to Jake Paul could also hurt his marketing power in free agency. But the good news is that Paul seems like he wants Woodley to box a different opponent on his next undercard.

Although the KO loss is difficult to deal with, Tyron Woodley had made it clear he will fight again. As for Paul, Chris Weidman hopes the YouTuber-turned-boxer faces his former rival, Anderson Silva, next.

“I would love to see him fight Anderson Silva. He’s calling out all these fighters with UFC contracts. I don’t think he’s really–none of those are really going to happen at this point. The UFC would have to get behind it almost like a Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather type match.

“But unless you’re drawing in $500 million like the Mayweather and Conor McGregor fights were doing, the UFC’s not doing that because they want to split it. They would split it, but if it’s not that type of money, they’re not doing it. So (we’re) wasting our time even talking about (Nate) Diaz, (Jorge) Masvidal and (Kamaru) Usman,” Weidman concluded.

Do you agree with Chris Weidman that Tyron Woodley tarnished his legacy?

Continue Reading Weidman Says Woodley’s Legacy Is Tarnished After KO Loss To Jake Paul at MMA News.

Chris Weidman Thinks Tyron Woodley ‘Tarnished’ His Legacy In KO Loss To Jake Paul

Chris WeidmanChris Weidman is the latest high profile MMA fighter to suggest that former UFC champion Tyron Woodley destroyed his legacy in his recent knockout loss to Jake Paul. ‘The Chosen One’ first fought Paul in September and ran the YouTuber close over eight rounds before slipping to a split decision defeat. On December 18, Woodley […]

Chris Weidman

Chris Weidman is the latest high profile MMA fighter to suggest that former UFC champion Tyron Woodley destroyed his legacy in his recent knockout loss to Jake Paul.

‘The Chosen One’ first fought Paul in September and ran the YouTuber close over eight rounds before slipping to a split decision defeat. On December 18, Woodley attempted to avenge the loss but was shockingly knocked out cold inside six rounds.

Since then, Woodley has been ridiculed online and Weidman thinks ‘T-Wood’ will struggle to bounce back from such an embarrassing loss.

“Damn, Tyron Woodley is going to have to live with that. It seems like they’re just comparing him to Ben Askren now,” Weidman said on the latest episode of ‘Won’t Back Down’. “He’s not going to get another chance, like that’s it. I don’t know who he’s going to fight that we give him the draw and excitement that he would need to like elevate him back… I think his legacy has definitely been tarnished, which sucks to say.”  (Transcribed by Sportskeeda)

Chris Weidman Is Not The First Fighter To Suggest Tyron Woodley Has Tarnished His Legacy

During a recent episode of The TimboSugarShow, Sean O’Malley gave a similar assessment of Woodley’s legacy following the second Paul loss.

“Dude, it completely destroyed his f*cking legacy,” O’Malley said. “That could affect Tyron Woodley big time, or he could just be completely unattached to that and still be happy. That’s a f*cking skill that you have to require.”

Woodley, who is 39 years old, has lost six consecutive fights but has shown no interest in retirement. The former welterweight plans to stay busy in 2022 and expects to fight four times.

Do you agree with Chris Weidman? Did Tyron Woodley destroy his great legacy in his knock out loss to Jake Paul?