Chris Weidman Issues Statement on UFC 261 Leg Injury
UFC middleweight Chris Weidman has spoken out publically for the first time since his devastating leg injury he suffered against Uriah Hall at UFC 261.
In a brief video message to fans, Weidman gave an update on his progress after undergoing surgery this past weekend at a Jacksonville hospital. He also says that he’s unable to train for the next 6-12 months barring any setback in his recovery.
“I just wanted to let everyone know I’m so thankful for all the love and support,” Weidman said in an Instagram post. “Trying to find the blessing in disguise and the surgery was successful.”
Weidman suffered a torn Fibula and Tibia after throwing a routine right low kick against Hall just seconds into their fight at UFC 261. After throwing the kick, Weidman attempted to put weight back on his leg, but it collapsed from underneath him; ending the fight via TKO.
Weidman was hopeful about another middleweight title run in the UFC but those plans are on hold, at least for the immediate future. In his last fight, he earned a win over Omari Akhmedov at UFC Vegas 6 and looked to put on an impressive performance in his return to pay-per-view.
The 36-year-old has been on a bit of a rough streak since losing the middleweight title to Luke Rockhold at UFC 194. Weidman has now lost six of his last eight bouts in the UFC, including a knockout loss to Dominick Reyes in his only light heavyweight fight in the promotion.
Following the brutal finish at UFC 261, the MMA Community came together to wish “The All-American” well in his recovery. This includes messages on social media from Anderson Silva, Hall, Gilbert Burns, Conor McGregor, and others.
While it’s obviously tough to see a class act like Weidman suffer such a brutal injury, it’s encouraging to see the former middleweight champion in good spirits and trying to look at things in a forward-thinking way. It’s unclear whether or not this injury could be career-ending, but it appears he is already beginning to think about his eventual comeback to the octagon.
What was your reaction to Chris Weidman’s freak leg break at UFC 261?
