UFC News: Chris Weidman not ready to call time on his career; says he will return to the cage

Chris Weidman's future is the subject of serious speculation in the MMA community, with many believing that he should call time on his career in the Octagon.

On his light heavyweight debut, at the main event of UFC on ESPN 6, Weidman suffered a devastating first-round knockout loss against the unbeaten Dominick Reyes, marking his fifth knockout defeat in his last six bouts.

Weidman moved to the light heavyweight division hoping to resurrect his career after suffering a string of losses, but after falling to Reyes, questions have started to arise regarding his ability to withstand punishment inside the cage.

Weidman does not want to call it quits

Amid speculation of his potential retirement, UFC president Dana White recently said that he will have a word with the former middleweight champion regarding his future. However, Weidman announced via Instagram that he’s not willing to call it a day just yet. (h/t MMA Junkie)

“I’m hearing a lot of ‘you should retire comments’ and I get where you are coming from based on the results of my recent fights. It’s crazy because with a win over Reyes the chances of me fighting for the world championship were very strong.

"Now to be getting hit with the retirement talk is really a big swing for me to get used to hearing. I will tell you that I am definitely not ready to retire. I still love this and am very hungry to get back in there. I believe I have the abilities to still be world champion.”

A promise to come back stronger

Weidman also spoke out about the disappointing outcome of his fight with Reyes and promised to come back stronger.

"This fight I was coming off a year lay-off, 2 major surgeries, and a weight class change. Way too much time out of the gym and I feel like that did play a role in this fight. The fact that I’m healthy right now and can get back in the gym is territory that I’m not used too. I will be back soon and I will look good doing it. Thank you everyone for your support and I’m sorry to let you down."

View this post on Instagram

I just want to let everyone know I’m all good just obviously bummed with the result. I knew Dom was a tough fight and he proved to be more than that with a beautiful timed left hand that put me down in the first. I jumped in with a right hand and the range was off and he capitalized. Sucks for me. As for what is next for me... I’m hearing a lot of “you should retire comments” and I get where you are coming from based on the results of my recent fights. It’s crazy because with a win over Reyes the chances of me fighting for the world championship were very strong. Now to be getting hit with the retirement talk is really a big swing for me to get used to hearing. I will tell you that I am def not ready to retire. I still love this and am very hungry to get back in there. I believe I have the abilities to still be world champion. I know some of you are shaking your head and laughing at me when I say that .. well screw you and thanks for the motivation. This fight I was coming off a year lay-off, 2 major surgeries, and a weight class change. Way too much time out of the gym and I feel like that did play a role in this fight. The fact that I’m healthy right now and can get back in the gym is territory that I’m not used too. I will be back soon and I will look good doing it. Thank you everyone for your support and I’m sorry to let you down. This extreme low in my career will be part of my story and I will finish on top. Thank you to my friends and family and sponsors @monsterenergy @cbdmd.usa @fellowshiphomeloans @medtronic who stand behind me in my high and low moments! Thank you to God for blessing me with all that I have and am so undeserving of. Everyday is a gift and I’m so thankful to be able to experience that gift even when my goals and desires aren’t met.

A post shared by Chris Weidman (@chrisweidman) on Oct 22, 2019 at 8:13am PDT

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