"A good place to end my career" - Chris Weidman initially decided to retire at UFC Atlantic City, but one thing changed his mind
Chris Weidman recently admitted that he had initially made the decision to retire at UFC Atlantic City, but a compelling reason prompted him to reconsider his choice.
The former UFC middleweight champion is gearing up to face Bruno Silva on the main card of the upcoming Fight Night event, set to take place at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey this weekend.
During his recent appearance on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Weidman disclosed that he had been pondering the prospect of hanging up his gloves at UFC Atlantic City, the place where he began his professional MMA journey back in February 2009. However, 'The All-American' explained that once he commenced his training camp for his upcoming fight, he abandoned the notion:
"I'm undefeated in Atlantic City; that's where I started my career. When I got the call, to be honest, first, I thought that would be a really cool place to hang up the gloves; that's where I started my career and maybe a good place to end my career. But as I started training, I said, Let me see how my body feels; if I feel like I'm, then I'll be done, you know 30 surgies and stuff."
Weidman added:
"But I've been feeling amazing, you know, but I was very open-minded too, to bring 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. I feel great right now."
Check out Chris Weidman's comments below (4:16):
Weidman endured a devastating leg fracture at UFC 261 in April 2021, followed by another injury after his loss to Brad Tavares at UFC 292 last August. He has now faced defeat in seven of his last nine fights, with six of them concluding via knockout or technical knockout.
Chris Weidman reflects on his injury-laden career
Chris Weidman recently recognized that his return to the UFC, following the gruesome leg injury suffered in a fight against Uriah Hall in 2021, was a remarkable feat in itself. He underwent four surgeries to mend his leg, encountering further challenges in his recovery process.
In the same interview with Ariel Helwani, Weidman described how previous surgeries on his knee exacerbated his condition:
"I’ve had a little bit of everything at this point. Every type of injury you can think of, every joint you can think of, I’ve had, and I’ve battled through it, and I got back in the octagon. I made things happen. This is by far the worst. For me in particular, it seems to be worse than maybe even other people, because I already had 10 knee surgeries on this leg.
"Now they take a titanium rod and drill it through the top of my knee, through my knee joint, which is already arthritic and having tons of issues and drill down into my knee." [7:13]