Weidman Will ‘Be Back Better Than Ever’

Sorry Dana, but Chris Weidman — who insists he’s “a really bad matchup” for middleweight kingpin Israel Adesanya — plans to keep going until the wheels (or the legs) fall off.

Former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman, who turned 39 back in June, is not ready to retire from MMA despite dropping four of his last five, which includes a comeback loss against Brad Tavares in the UFC 292 “Prelims” lineup last weekend in Boston.

I guess that card placement wasn’t so “disrespectful” after all.

“I’m not done,” Weidman said at the UFC 292 post-fight press conference. “I’ll be back better than ever, but this was a good opportunity for me to get back in the Octagon. Both legs hurt pretty bad. I’m in wheelchair that they’re pushing me in and also dragging me in. The surgery leg, that one’s pretty puffy. I don’t think there’s any serious damage. I have a rod in the middle of that thing but there’s definitely going to be some pain for the next week or so.”

Weidman (15-7) made his return to the cage after spending more than two years on the sidelines, mending a broken leg suffered against Uriah Hall at UFC 261 in early 2021. His performance did little to impress UFC President Dana White, who practically begged Weidman to call it quits (read those comments here).

Safe to say Jon Jones’ legacy is no longer in jeopardy.

“There was hesitancy,” Weidman said about his UFC 292 return. “There was probably a little bit of ring rust. No excuses. I told Brad after the fight, he’s an awesome dude, and we kind of stood there the first round. I guess he was kind of worried about my takedowns and I was just kind of getting a feel to be in there again. I think it ended up being a fun fight. I thought I won the second round to be honest. But I’m just happy to be here.”

Weidman has a steep hill to climb if he hopes to accomplish this goal.

It is not yet known how much damage Weidman suffered against Tavares and he may not be able to compete before his 40th birthday. The promotion will be required to honor the remaining fights on his contract if the aging “All American” wants to continue, unless White follows this example and serves Weidman his unconditional release.

For more results and fallout from UFC 292 click here.