Chris Weidman still feels he has more to prove before he steps away from MMA.
At 39 years old, the ‘All American’ has already covered a lot of bases throughout his fighting career. Weidman (15-7) dethroned Anderson Silva to become the UFC Middleweight Champion over a decade ago and managed to defend the title three consecutive times.
Things could have gone better for Weidman as the undefeated fighter went 2-7 in his following fights. On top of losing the title to Luke Rockhold in 2015, Weidman suffered a nasty leg break to Uriah Hall in 2021, changing his life forever.
Weidman Talks About ‘The Elephant In The Room’
The former champ has competed once since then, a leg-kicking loss to Brad Tavares last August. The crippling setback made Weidman contemplate retirement, and was even asked by UFC CEO Dana White to call it quits. But Weidman appears to have moved past the idea for now as he heads into his next fight against Bruno Silva (23-10) at UFC Atlantic City this weekend.
“I’m undefeated in Atlantic City. That’s where I started my career. So when I got the call, to be honest, the first time, I go, ‘Oh, man, that would be a really cool place to hang up the gloves’. That was probably one of the first thoughts. That’s where I started my career, maybe a good place to end my career,” Weidman said on ‘The MMA Hour‘.
“But as I started training, I said, let me see how my body feels. If I feel like I’m done, I’ll be done, 30 surgeries in and stuff. I’ve been feeling amazing, but I was very open minded to being this last one. I am very cognizant that Atlantic City would be a cool place to hang up the gloves, but I don’t see that happening, just to speak to the elephant in the room.”
Weidman Says He Has The Potential To Be ‘The Best In The World Again’
With brutal injuries, a string of losses and the end of his 30’s coming soon, it’s safe to say Chris Weidman’s best days are behind him. No matter how many cards are stacked against him, ‘The All-American’ is still all in on the idea that he can make another run to the title.
“I think because physically, I feel so good, mentally, I feel really good. I’m excited to go out there and I feel great in training. The coaches are, I know what it sounds like, and I get it… but, the coaches think like, if I wanted to, if I have the energy to do it, like I could be the best in the world again and I do feel that way. Now I gotta go and put in the work. I gotta actually show that in the UFC, so we’ll see on Saturday night how I how I look. But, the way I feel is amazing.
“I don’t like to use the word die, but it’s it’s definitely a do,” Weidman said, when asked if this was a do-or-die fight. “If I lose, it’s like, okay, I would have to rethink about where I’m at, and we’ll deal with it then. But, I think I win this fight, there’s a lot of great opportunities for me. I just gotta get on that win column, look good doing it.”
Will Chris Weidman return to winning ways this weekend?
