'I was in a good spot'- Chris Weidman gets emotional talking with Ariel Helwani about his leg break
To many, UFC 261 will go down as one of the standout UFC events in recent memory. However, on a night that no doubt caused joy for many, it also caused heartbreak for Chris Weidman.
The former middleweight champion was on the receiving end of an early leg check from Uriah Hall. A standard defensive tool employed by fighters to deter their opponents from throwing leg kicks. However, whether it was due to pre-existing microfractures or just unfortunate timing, Weidman's shin was broken.
Replays showed his leg snapping on impact, in what was one of the most gruesome moments ever seen inside the octagon. Bizarrely, the injury mirrored a similar leg break that Weidman caused for Anderson Silva back in 2013. Silva has since reached out on social media to support Weidman.
Silva's career was never the same after that loss and he has won just one fight in the years since. It may be that Weidman now sees parallels between himself and Silva. Weidman could be seen visibly emotional in a recent interview with Ariel Helwani, after being asked about the injury.
Is the Mental or the Physical Pain Greater For Weidman?
The interview, which was conducted by ESPN MMA, took place in what appeared to be Weidman's living room, with the former champion now out of hospital, post surgery. Helwani asked Weidman the following question:
"So there's two things I guess your dealing with now. The physical pain and the mental pain, right? Is it possible because you're allowing your brain to go in a million different directions. You're on the couch, on the bed, you're not doing much, you're usually a guy that's very active. Is in a weird way, is the mental pain greater than the physical pain?"
Weidman initially appeared to shrug off the question, stating that:
"You know, I don't really let myself dwell on that too much. When you first asked that question, the first thing that popped into my head was like, the frustration."
However, as he begins to mentally process the question, Weidman can be seen choking up and getting visibly emotional:
"I'm getting emotional. I don't know why. It's just very frustrating."
Weidman did then compose himself, and gave reasoning as to why he was so affected by Helwani's words. He stated that:
"I was in a very good spot. Physically, mentally, spiritually. I had some big goals I was ready to accomplish. And I cannot believe this happened to me."