Former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman underwent successful leg surgery following his UFC 261 matchup with Uriah Hall on Saturday night. He threw the opening kick of the fight against Hall before sustaining the injury. Medical personnel quickly came to aid Weidman as soon as he was injured. Weidman’s wife, Marivi took to Instagram to offer an update on her husband’s condition.
“Well that was horrible,” Marivi Weidman said in a post on Instagram. “Freak things happen in life and plans get crushed. It’s been a lonnnggg day but so happy to finally see this man of mine post surgery. Everything went well thank you Lord!
“My heart breaks for my husband because I know the work and dedication that he puts into his training everyday and the great man that he is, so I only want the best for him. While this absolutely sucks in the moment and for some weeks to come, we are completely overwhelmed by the love and support we have far and wide and are very aware how blessed we are. All of that overpowers the awfulness of this situation.”
Weidman was eventually carried out in a stretcher and quickly had surgery on the injured leg. UFC President Dana White confirmed that he was in stable condition.
There are still no exact details on the broken bone in Weidman’s leg, but he is currently resting and recovering following surgery.
Weidman’s former opponent Anderson Silva, who suffered a similar injury in their rematch at UFC 168 in 2013, sent him a message of support following the event. Silva broke his leg throwing a leg kick before going down, but recovered 13 months after the injury occurred.
As for Weidman, his fight with Hall was a rematch from their previous bout back in September of 2010 where “The All-American” defeated Hall via knockout. Weidman has also lost five of his previous seven bouts since being dethroned as the UFC middleweight champion. As Father Time knocks on his door, Weidman may have a long climb back to the top as he will turn 37 in June.
With a long recovery road ahead of him, he’ll be close to 40 by the time he returns to training again. The Hofstra graduate may not be the undefeated and undisputed champion that he once was, but it will be interesting to see what he will bring to the table once he returns to the Octagon.
