Chris Weidman has suffered scary ligament tear at UFC 292 right after long recovery from leg break, says Dana White - "Please retire"
Chris Weidman’s return to the UFC octagon ended in a unanimous decision loss against Brad Tavares at UFC 292 on August 19. The former UFC middleweight champion was at the receiving end of several hard leg kicks from Tavares that threatened to stop the fight quite a few times.
‘The All-American’ suffered a brutal leg break in his UFC 261 fight against Uriah Hall and had been on the sidelines for over two years. While speaking to the media at the UFC 292 presser, Dana White stated that the former champion might have suffered a ligament tear in his loss to Tavares. The UFC president then went on to urge Chris Weidman to retire and said:
“[He must] Retire! I love Chris Weidman. I love him, I love his family and I think he should retire. We talked to Doc D. Doc D thinks he blew his MCL, ACL? One of the CLs. Guy’s just coming back from a gruesome injury and, you know, listen man… Father time is not our friend at all.”
The nature of Weidman’s injury and the timeline for recovery is still to be disclosed. Weidman, 39, will probably cross over to the wrong side of 40 when he is fit to compete again. Dana White expressed his feelings about Weidman returning for one last fight and said:
“Depending on the damage to the knee, we’re talking another year. So I would say, ‘Chris, I love you! Please retire.”
Watch the video from the 7:05 mark:
Brad Tavares helps Chris Weidman out of his wheelchair for photo-ops
Brad Tavares, who brutally attacked Weidman’s leg during their clash at UFC 292 gave the former champion all the respect he deserved after the conclusion of the event. Weidman’s leg was severely compromised after the fight and he had to be escorted out on a wheelchair.
Tavares met the 39-year-old backstage and helped him get out of the chair for photo-ops in a heart-warming moment. Watch the video below, courtesy of UFC’s official Twitter handle: