Video: Chris Weidman details injuries and timeline for recovery in first statement since UFC 261
Chris Weidman is on the road to recovery after suffering one of the ugliest injuries in UFC history.
Weidman’s first in-cage appearance of 2021 ended in just 17 seconds when opponent Uriah Hall checked a Weidman leg kick that caused Weidman’s leg to break. The former UFC middleweight champion immediately dropped to the canvas, causing a hush to fall over the crowd at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. Shortly after, Weidman was taken to the back on a stretcher.
On Sunday, Weidman, 36, successfully underwent surgery on his leg and he later issued his first statement via Instagram since suffering the injury.
In the video, Weidman expressed his gratitude to friends, family, and fans who have reached out to him. He also thanked Hall, who was visibly shaken by the outcome of the fight, and former rival Anderson Silva (who suffered an eerily similar injury in his second fight with Weidman at UFC 168 in December 2013), who both had words of support for Weidman.
“I just want to let everybody know I’m so thankful for all the love and support... I know Uriah Hall was super classy and upset this happened to me and I really appreciate that,” Weidman said. “I know Anderson Silva came out and said some really nice things. It’s pretty brutal, but I’m gonna get through this.”
Weidman also suggested that in a best case scenario he could return to training later this year, though he’s also aware that his recovery time could carry over into 2022.
“I think it’s gonna be eight weeks until I can walk without crutches and stuff, and drive and all that,” Weidman said. “And then as far as actually training, I don’t know. They said between six and 12 months, I’ll be good to go. I’m trying to find the blessing in disguise, the silver lining of this.
“Honestly, as soon as it happened and I hit the floor and seen what happened to my leg and the pain started hitting me, I was just trying to put my mind on something positive that’s gonna come out of this. Hopefully, something’s gonna come out of this that’s good. But man, this is not fun, I can’t believe it happened.”
Going forward, Weidman said he plans to document his recovery from the injury. After providing an update on his status on Sunday, Weidman provided more details as to the procedure that was done on his leg.
“Surgery was successful,” Weidman said. “They put a titanium rod through the tibia, they go through the knee and they put the rod in. They drill it through the tibia and make it straight and hard. My fibula was broken as well, but I guess when they put the tibia back together and my leg was straight, the fibula kind of matched back up to where it was broken and they feel like that could heal on its own as long as I’m not putting weight on it and stuff.”
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