"I felt terrible about it" - Chris Weidman apologizes to Anderson Silva after 'The Spider' broke his leg in their UFC 168 fight
Chris Weidman and Anderson Silva competed in a highly-anticipated rematch at UFC 168 in 2013. In the second round, the Brazilian suffered a horrific leg break, which resulted in a TKO victory for Weidman.
Weidman sustained an identical injury at UFC 261 against Uriah Hall. After almost eight years, the 37-year-old feels sorry for Silva now that he is able to empathize with the former UFC superstar.
Anderson Silva was the first guest on Chris Weidman's 'Won't Back Down' podcast. During their interaction, 'The All-American' apologized to Silva for the trauma he had to face following his leg break injury.
"I feel terrible now because I now I understand the pain that you went through, all the trials and tribulations that you went through, and it just makes me empathize with you so much more with those situations.
"To be honest, I've never even said this out loud but it's been on my mind since it happened. I want to apologize to you because afterwards, I felt terrible," said Weidman.
Silva, being gracious as ever, told Weidman he doesn't need to apologize even though he started celebrating immediately at UFC 168. 'The Spider' pointed out that fighters often don't pay attention to their opponents when they register a win, especially in the UFC.
He suggested Weidman celebrating exuberantly after he broke his leg wasn't disrespectful simply because of the magnitude of their fight.
Chris Weidman is recovering from the nasty injury he suffered at UFC 261
Chris Weidman is still on the road to recovery after breaking his leg against Uriah Hall at UFC 261. The 37-year-old expects to extensively resume his training in roughly six to twelve months.
Weidman is also documenting his recovery process on his YouTube channel. Although 'The All-American' still walks with a limp, he is able to withstand his body weight without difficulty.
He recently had a sparring session with one of his teammates where he made sure to negate his foot movement.
Chris Weidman is a four-time UFC middleweight champion. After defeating Anderson Silva twice, he defended his belt against the likes of Lyoto Machida and Vitor Belfort.