UFC 292 is almost upon us and no doubt, fans are eagerly awaiting all the fights in store. With two title fights and tons of exciting talent on show, the hype is understandable. Notably, UFC 292 also marks the return of former middleweight champion, Chris Weidman.
Previously, Weidman took on Uriah Hall at UFC 261 two years ago. However, it was not to be as less than 20 seconds into the fight, Hall checked Weidman’s kick, which resulted in one of the most horrifying leg breaks in UFC history. As it turns out, Chris snapped both his fibula and tibia in an incident that echoed what Anderson Silva suffered against him at UFC 168.
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Despite a few setbacks, The All-American is finally set to make his return to the Octagon this weekend. Taking on Brad Tavares at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, Weidman will close out the preliminary card. Undoubtedly, it will be a big moment for the 39-year-old, who will be looking to pick up where he left off in the UFC.
Recently, Chris dipped his toes into combat sports when he took on Owen Livesey in a grappling match at Polaris 23 earlier this year. Despite a decision loss, the outing gave Weidman a much-needed test run. As such, Chris is now in high spirits and looking forward to making one more run for his old middleweight title.
How did Chris Weidman recover from his leg break?
Without a doubt, Weidman suffered one of the most stomach-churning injuries that we’ve ever seen in the UFC. Whilst Anderson Silva and Conor McGregor recovered rather quickly from their respective leg breaks, it has been a long road to recovery for Weidman. Moreover, as he states, the recovery process had many ups and downs.
Speaking to SHAK MMA, Chris spoke about the process. “We’ve had four surgeries, infections, in and out of hospitals, tons of ups and downs. Hope and then hope just crashing down.” Despite the complications and more than a few setbacks, Chris has recovered and is supposedly in his ‘prime’. “People think I’m just coming back for like a paycheck or to just see how it feels. I’m coming back to take over this whole damn thing,” he added.
In what has been a grueling recovery, Chris has covered all the bases to make sure that he is 100% before stepping inside the Octagon. Speaking on UFC Unfiltered, Weidman detailed his surgery a little more. “I got a titanium rod through the middle of my shin bone – right through the whole (bone), from the top of my knee all the way down to the low part of my ankle to the bottom of the tibia.” As such, Chris believes his reinforced leg will allow him to kick people like he used to in the past.
An important question that many have had, is whether, like Conor McGregor, Chris has also used steroids for his recovery. The answer to the question is a resounding no, as Weidman was pretty quick to get back into USADA’s testing pool. Moreover, Weidman completed his 50th clean test under USADA last year. Thus, the American is all clear and all geared up for his much-awaited return to action.