The future of Chris Weidman has been heavily discussed in the MMA community as of late.
Weidman recently returned to the Octagon after recovering from a gruesome leg snap in his 2021 fight against Uriah Hall. The "All-American" went one-on-one with Brad Tavares in the featured preliminary bout on the UFC 292 card. Weidman showed heart, but Tavares picked apart his lead leg with kicks and won the fight via unanimous decision.
UFC President Dana White told reporters that Weidman blew out either his ACL or MCL during the fight. The UFC boss said he would urge Weidman to retire from pro MMA competition. The former UFC Middleweight Champion has said he doesn't plan to hang up his gloves yet.
During a recent episode of his "Believe You Me" podcast, Michael Bisping chimed in on the situation Chris Weidman is currently facing. The UFC Hall of Famer admitted that he feels bad for Weidman and wonders if he will ultimately decide to walk away from the sport.
"To see the damage to the leg after returning two and a half years away from the Octagon, snapped his leg to come back and be hopping around on one leg? Then, now to hear that he's either tore his ACL or MCL, I'm not sure which one it was, I saw a little video, him and Brad Tavares, he stood up out of his wheelchair for a picture, nothing but respect between the two of them," Bisping said. "Coming back from a loss, we know he said he felt disrespected because he was on the prelims and he was gonna go out there, prove the world wrong and get his respect back.
"Tough to watch for him because when does he come back? If he needs surgery on a torn ACL or MCL, he's gonna be out probably another year and he's already 39 years old. I know in the post-fight press conference Dana was like, 'We love you Chris, but please retire.'"
Aside from the brutal injury setbacks, Weidman has gone 1-4 in his last five outings. Once an undefeated UFC champion with a record of 13-0, Weidman has since gone 2-7. Time will tell if he will heed the advice of Dana White, or if he will continue to fight once he recovers from this latest injury.
If you use any quotes from this article, please leave an H/T to MMAKnockout.com for the transcription.
More must-reads: