Former UFC middleweight champion, Chris Weidman, has put his body through the wringer ahead of what could be his final fight this weekend at UFC Atlantic City. Ever since UFC 261 in 2021, Weidman knows every time he gets to step back into the Octagon is a win in itself. What many called “the worst injury in MMA history” led Weidman to four surgeries to fix the damage to his leg. Weidman joined Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour to discuss the injury and his future in the UFC.
Chris Weidman Road to Recovery
The road back from his leg break was never easy. Weidman alluded to the fact that his long list of prior injuries definitely made his recovery that much tougher.
“I’ve had a little bit of everything at this point. Every type of injury you can think of, every joint you can think of, I’ve had, and I’ve battled through it, and I got back in the Octagon. I made things happen. This is by far the worst,” Weidman told Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour.
“For me in particular, it seems to be worse than maybe even other people, because I already had 10 knee surgeries on this leg. Now they take a titanium rod and drill it through the top of my knee, through my knee joint, which is already arthritic and having tons of issues, and drill down into my knee,” Weidman continued. “So now, I don’t have the muscle in my lower leg like I used to to protect my knee and to protect my leg. My quad, everything just atrophied. Then I got the nerve issues from the bone popping through the skin like that and the muscle. The muscle, the nerve, there’s just tons of things going on in there. There’s a lot that you’ve got to deal with.”
The middleweight legend knows that he’ll never return to 100%, but that won’t stop him from battling on.
“Obviously, I had four surgeries from it, because things just didn’t work out the way it’s supposed to. You’ve just always got to be ready to roll with the punches and keep on going with a positive attitude. That’s what I’m continually trying to do, because it’s still a battle. My leg is still not 100 percent. I don’t think it will ever be 100 percent, but I can’t give up on it. I’ve got to keep working it.”
Chris Weidman: A Date in Atlantic City
Weidman is scheduled to face Bruno Silva this weekend at UFC Atlantic City, a fight in which Weidman mentioned “could be my last fight”. The New York native stated that his decision to continue fighting won’t be decided by a win or loss.
“I’m not really looking at the result of this fight to make the decision if it’s my last one,” Chris Weidman told Helwani on The MMA Hour. “I’m really going to be gauging if it’s my last one or not on how I feel during this training camp. So probably two things, my motivation, like, how excited am I to be training every single day? My pain, how much pain I have every single day, is my body done? Can I still hold up? Can I still compete at the highest level of levels? Am I having fun? It’s the motivation and it’s the pain.”
“If my body can get through this camp and I’m not miserable everyday walking into the gym, and I’m actually having a great time and I love it and my is low to moderate, I’ll continue. I love this more than anything. I know I’m really great at it and I can do some more big things but it’s just if my body can handle it and I’m still excited to do it,” Weidman continued.
The pain truly sucks the enjoyment out of the sport for the product of the Serra-Longo Fight Team.
“When you have pain, just in the warmup, you start trying to bounce around a little bit to get ready for a practice, and you’re feeling pain, it just takes the excitement away,” Weidman stated. “Now you’re just looking to get through the workout, as opposed to I can’t wait, this is going to be so fun.”
Turning a Corner
This fight camp marked a turning point for Weidman and his future in the sport. Weidman felt better than ever and hasn’t needed to take any prescribed pain medication.
“Right now, I’m feeling great. I’ve been having tons of fun in the [training] room, to be honest,” Weidman said. I love training, but if that training just becomes a problem for me then I’m definitely done. I also know the otherside of it, you don’t want to get punched in the head for a living for very long. Eventually, it might be the next shot you end up having long-term effects from. I am cognizant of that too, but I also know you only live once, and if you have something that you love and you happen to be one of the best guys in the world doing it, that’s a hard thing to give up.”
Weidman will be at war with multiple people when he steps into the Octagon this Saturday night. Aside from his actual opponent, Weidman is at war with his own body and mind to continue doing what he loves to do.
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
