UFC middleweight Chris Weidman provided an update on the broken leg he suffered at UFC 261 this past weekend, posting on social media on Monday.
In a self-shot video posted from a hospital bed, Weidman, 36, said he broke the tibia and fibula in his right leg as he threw a kick against Uriah Hall on Saturday in Jacksonville. He underwent surgery on Sunday to insert a titanium rod into his tibia. He provided a potential timeline of his recovery, which even included a return to training.
“Pretty brutal, but I’m going to get through this,” Weidman said via Instagram. “I think it’s going to be eight weeks until I can walk without crutches, drive and all that. As far as training, they said between six to 12 months I’ll be good to go.”
Weidman (15-6) is just the third fighter in UFC history to suffer a broken leg due to a checked kick. Incredibly enough, he was involved in two of the three incidents, as Anderson Silva broke his leg in very similar fashion during a UFC championship fight against Weidman in December 2013. Silva returned from the injury 13 months later and is still active at age 46.
There has been an outpouring of well wishes towards Weidman from the MMA community over the past two days, including messages from Hall and Silva. In a postfight news conference, Hall has said he owes Weidman another fight if he ever wants it. And Silva sent his “deepest and most sincere sentiments to the champ” on social media.
A native of Long Island, Weidman held the UFC’s 185-pound title from 2013 to 2015. He is just 2-6 in his past eight appearances but was looking to get back on a win streak Saturday against Hall. The injury occurred on the very first kick Weidman threw.
“I’m trying to find the blessing in disguise, a silver lining,” Weidman said. “Honestly, as soon as it happened and I hit the floor, saw my leg and the pain started hitting me, I tried to keep my mind on something positive that will come out of this. I’m hopeful something will come out of it that’s good, because this is not fun. I can’t believe it happened.”