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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – AUGUST 08: Chris Weidman battles Omari Akhmedov in a middleweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on August 08, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – AUGUST 08: Chris Weidman battles Omari Akhmedov in a middleweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on August 08, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
Chris Weidman is going to face Uriah Hall in his next MMA bout. While the pair met outside the UFC for Weidman’s third career bout, the situation is completely different now. Weidman is a grizzled veteran who is a former UFC Champion. Meanwhile, Hall is a high-potential bust that is looking to rewrite the narrative around his career.
However, the bout between the pair was postponed from UFC 258 all the way to UFC 261. This is mainly because Weidman had a very hard bout with COVID-19, a topic he opened up about while talking to Submission Radio.
READ MORE: Chris Weidman vs Uriah Hall To Be Removed From UFC 258 Card
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“For about three days I had a fever, body aches, bad headache, and it just kind of sucked. And then after that, I just kind of felt tired. I would get these headaches randomly. Yeah, so I had to take about two weeks off training, and now I feel good and getting back in shape. But I guess taking two weeks off my proper training, even if I came back with no lingering effects, it’s just not the best timing for the fight.”
Weidman revealed more details by revealing he lost 12 pounds. “I also lost 12 pounds. I was eating soups and stuff. My appetite wasn’t that great and I ended up losing 12 pounds throughout the process. Which, I was like, wow, my weight cut is not gonna be as bad, I really got my weight low.”
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Chris Weidman: Ready to return after this?
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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – OCTOBER 31: (L-R) Anderson Silva of Brazil and Uriah Hall of Jamaica trade punches in a middleweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on October 31, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
Weidman will be hoping he is 100% before he steps into the cage against Hall. A motivated Uriah Hall could be a very dangerous prospect inside the Octagon. We have seen him do incredible things before. However, Weidman had probably the most incredible moment in UFC history when he dethroned Anderson Silva.
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He has fallen off a lot since, but he is still a dangerous competitor. However, it will be hard to gauge the levels of his performance after this sidetrack of his career.
We are still unaware of how COVID can impact fighters’ health in the long-term. While Weidman may seem out of the woods now, hopefully, his health allows him to make the walk to the Octagon when the time comes.
