Bruno Silva lost "30 percent" vision from Chris Weidman's eye poke at UFC Atlantic City, addresses foul after return to Brazil
The Chris Weidman vs. Bruno Silva middleweight bout ended controversially. Weidman stopped his Brazilian opponent with strikes in round three, preceded by eye pokes. The matchup, which transpired at the UFC Atlantic City event in Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA, on March 30, 2024, was declared a third-round TKO win for 'The All-American.'
Nevertheless, replays suggested that the American MMA stalwart landed multiple eye pokes on 'Blindado' that likely contributed to the eventual TKO finish. The verdict was subsequently overturned to a technical decision (unanimous) victory for Weidman.
For his part, Silva, who's now back in Curitiba, Brazil, has opened up about the match and how the eye pokes have affected his health.
In a recent edition of the Trocacao Franca podcast by MMA Fighting, Silva alluded to the evidence in the replays and asserted that Weidman poked both his eyes. The 34-year-old indicated he visited an opthalmologist in his native Brazil and underwent an eye exam.
He claimed that as per the exam's result, he's temporarily lost 30 percent of vision in one eye.
The veteran fighter clarified, however, that the doctor believes that the damage can be reversed and 'Blindado' could regain the vision he possessed before the Chris Weidman eye pokes.
The BJJ black belt stated [*Quotes courtesy: MMA Fighting]:
"The exam showed I lost 30 percent of my vision in one of the eyes ... But the doctor doesn't think it's permanent, he thinks it will come back fast. I'll have to go back there next week for another test."
Furthermore, Bruno Silva pointed out that he aims to appeal the technical decision defeat against Chris Weidman. He'll seek redressal from the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board that oversaw the event in Atlantic City.
Check out the podcast episode below:
Bruno Silva and Chris Weidman give contrasting assessments of UFC Atlantic City fight
During the podcast episode, Bruno Silva notably criticized referee Gary Copeland, who officiated their fight. Silva opined that the referee "f***** up" by failing to reprimand Weidman for the multiple eye pokes landed.
Furthermore, 'Blindado' emphasized that he intends to overturn the fight's verdict to an NC (No Contest), which is, according to him, the least that can be done to remedy the injustice he's faced.
Bruno Silva reiterated that a No Contest verdict would be justified. He further feels that Chris Weidman may not agree to a rematch. Regardless, as signaled in his Instagram post below, Silva would like to settle their score inside the octagon.
It's currently unclear whether the UFC would book an immediate rematch next. That said, 'Blindado' is seemingly open to whatever the UFC suggests.
Meanwhile, on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Chris Weidman proclaimed his innocence and maintained that the eye pokes were unintentional, underlining that he'd never resort to cheating. Moreover, the former UFC middleweight champion appears to have sustained an eye injury in the matchup, an image of which has piqued fan interest online.