Chris Weidman doesn’t plan to retire after losing in his Octagon return.
At UFC 292, ‘The All-American’ ended his near two-and-a-half-year layoff caused by a gruesome leg injury suffered against Uriah Hall in April 2021. Unfortunately for Weidman, things didn’t go as planned in his return, with Brad Tavares defeating him by unanimous decision.
During the UFC 292 post-event press conference, Dana White was candid about wanting Weidman to retire. Despite the disappointing result on August 19, the former UFC middleweight champion wants another chance to get back into the win column.
Shortly after losing against Tavares, Weidman had this to say during his post-fight interview backstage with Megan Olivi:
“I hope I can be an inspiration to people who have had big setbacks in their life, that you could come back from it on the highest level. Whatever you want to accomplish you could do it. I’m not done, so I’ll be back better than ever, but this was a good opportunity for me to get back in the Octagon.”
In December 2015, Weidman lost his UFC middleweight title when Luke Rockhold finished him in the fourth round. Since then, ‘The All-American’ hasn’t been the same, leading to six losses in his last eight fights.
Chris Weidman was hesitant to use his previously-injured leg
Chris Weidman’s plan heading into UFC 292 was to test his previously-injured leg by throwing hard leg kicks early. It turns out the mental effects of his horrific injuries were worse than expected. During the same interview with Megan Olivi, Weidman had this to say about being hesitant with his right leg:
“I didn’t think there would be, to be honest. In sparring, usually someone kicks me, I kick them right back, and I kick really hard. There was hesitancy [against Brad Tavares]. There was probably a little bit of ring rust. No excuses.”
Dana White isn’t the only factor potentially preventing Weidman from returning to the Octagon. According to the UFC president, ‘The All-American’ suffered a torn MCL or ACL at UFC 292, which could leave him sidelined indefinitely.
Therefore, the former UFC middleweight champion might have fought in the Octagon for the last time on August 19.
