Chris Weidman detailed his thought process backstage directly after suffering his infamous leg injury.
In April 2021, Weidman was scheduled to fight Uriah Hall during the UFC 261 pay-per-view main card. At the time, ‘The All American’ was coming off a unanimous decision win against Omari Akhmedov and hoped to continue building momentum by defeating Hall.
Little did Weidman know, his life would never be the same after stepping into the Octagon at UFC 261.
Less than twenty seconds into the fight, the former UFC middleweight champion threw a leg kick that changed everything. After taking a step back, Weidman’s leg snapped and shocked millions of fans with one of the worst injuries in MMA history.
Weidman was diagnosed with compound fractures in his tibia and fibula. Over the next two years, ‘The All American’ endured several surgeries and a gruesome recovery process filled with pain. The entire journey was captured on film for a documentary created by ESPN.
Earlier today, ESPN released an extended trailer for the documentary. In the video posted on YouTube, Weidman detailed his immediate reaction to the injury by saying this about his experience backstage:
“I go back and I see vaguely my leg split in half. I’m like, what the f*ck, there’s no way that’s my leg. Then, all of a sudden, the pain starts coming. I couldn’t believe it. The paramedics come in, they’re trying to move my leg around, and I feel the bone, and I see the bone sticking out of the leg. I’m like, oh my god, please just get me pain pills.”
Watch the extended trailer for Chris Weidman’s documentary below:
Chris Weidman talks about why he was motivated to return
Few people on this planet could go through what Chris Weidman did and want to fight again. Yet, the former UFC middleweight champion never gave up and returned to the Octagon on August 19, a unanimous decision loss against Brad Tavares at UFC 292.
During the previously mentioned extended documentary trailer, ‘The All American’ had this to say about why he needed to return:
“How about the challenge and the story? That just excites me. I love when people are counting me out.”
Chris Weidman’s Octagon return didn’t have a fairytale ending. With that said, Weidman hasn’t officially announced his retirement, as he’s voiced an interest in fighting again despite Dana White’s desire for him to hang up the gloves.
Firstly, Weidman must recover from a leg fracture he suffered during his fight against Brad Tavares. Once he’s fully healthy, it’ll be intriguing to see if he decides to make another walk to the Octagon.
