Chris Weidman was a very odd recipient of karma at UFC 261. Weidman was once the UFC Middleweight Champion, beating Anderson Silva and ending one of the most storied championship reigns in UFC history. When they rematched at UFC 168, Silva would shatter his leg after Weidman checked a leg kick.
The same happened to Weidman at UFC 261 against Uriah Hall. Weidman threw a leg kick at Hall for one of the first strikes of the contest which was checked by Hall. Weidman suffered the exact same injury that Silva faced against him, only the third time it has happened in the UFC. But his spirits are up and he shared X-Rays of the brutal break on Twitter.
Few X-rays pre-surgery and post-surgery pic.twitter.com/7zLrBH4jZt
— Chris Weidman (@chrisweidman) April 27, 2021
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These injuries are some of the rarest in MMA. It is incredible that Weidman was involved in two of the three times this has happened inside the UFC. While he dished the injury out the first time, now he knows what it is like to be on the receiving end. We wish the former champion a speedy recovery from this devastating injury.
Chris Weidman: What’s next for the former champion?
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Chris Weidman was hell-bent on getting back to the championship apex in the UFC. While he has been lackluster since losing his belt to Luke Rockhold in 2015, he wanted to keep proving he still has a lot to offer. He was entering this fight after a win over Omari Akhmedov, with this fight putting the winner in position for a top-five opponent next.
Alas, we won’t see the Weidman redemption story. This injury at the age of 36 has the potential to be career-ending. However, we saw Anderson Silva return from it after he suffered it. The difference is that Silva won only one of his next seven bouts in the UFC. But he suffered the injury at age 38 and made a return.
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READ MORE: Dana White Gets Slammed by Fans for Insensitive Tweet After Chris Weidman Injury
Anything is possible for Weidman. However, the competition atop the division is very strong and he isn’t the same marquee draw that Silva was. But if he puts all his hopes into returning to the sport at the highest level, his caliber and pedigree would definitely allow it.