ATLANTIC CITY, NJ – Many thought Chris Weidman was done after his last fight, but the former UFC champion is back and believes there is more to come from his MMA career.
This Saturday, Weidman (15-7 MMA, 11-7 UFC) will take on Bruno Silva (23-10 MMA, 4-4 UFC) on the main card of UFC on ESPN 54 at Boardwalk Hall. ) will return to the Octagon against. The 39-year-old is still chasing his first win since suffering a gruesome fracture in 2021. Weidman returned from injury last August but lost by unanimous decision to Brad Tavares.
After the loss to Tavares, Weidman considered retiring amid criticism of the state of his career and his 2-7 record in his past nine fights.
“I feel motivated,” Weidman told reporters at UFC on ESPN 54 Media Day on Wednesday. “During this training camp, I was very open-minded to read myself and see how I was feeling physically and mentally. Am I as good as I was before? Can I still evolve? And even as my camp evolves, I still think I'm better than I've ever been in terms of skill set.
“If you take one skill at a time, I don't think there's anyone in any division of the UFC who has as much skill as me in stand-up, wrestling, and jiu-jitsu. I think he can be at the top of the list. So I have to put it together and perform in the cage, but he looked world class during camp.”
Weidman won and defended the UFC middleweight title from 2013 to 2015. He has defeated many MMA greats such as Anderson Silva, Vitor Belfort, Lyoto Machida, and Demian Maia.
Weidman has already accomplished so much, but he's confident he can continue to add to his legacy by fighting this Saturday and beyond.
“I'm very grateful for my career and everything I've accomplished, but that doesn't mean I can rest on my laurels,” Weidman said. “I still have a lot to offer and a lot to show. When I show it in the gym, people go, 'Oh my God.' you're good. 'But you have to go out and do it under the lights and show it.
“I feel great, everything is great. The weight loss has been great, my body feels great and I feel better than I have in years. Look what I've got with it. Surprising people If I can't, I'll take it from there. Maybe I'm not performing as well as I think I can, so I'll rewrite the story from there. But for now, I'll take it from there. I’m optimistic about the future.”
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