Former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman is targeting a return to the Octagon in 2022.
Weidman spoke with MMA Fighting's Damon Martin on his podcast The Fighter vs. The Writer and provided an update on the recovery process he's been dealing with from the brutal broken leg injury he suffered just 17 seconds into his bout with Uriah Hall back at UFC 261 last April.
I’m doing everything,” Weidman said. “My leg’s not where I need it to be yet, to be happy going into the octagon against world-class guys and think I can be the best in the world. It’s not there yet just because of strength and a little bit of pain I’m still dealing in the lower leg while moving around. But it’s progressively getting better and I think in the next month or two, I’ll be to the point where I’m happy with it and then I can start like a pre-training camp. Get my body back into hardcore shape and see how the body deals with a camp. Like a mock training camp and then I’ll get into it and then I’ll probably call the UFC and try to set up a fight and get into a real training camp. I’ve been training hard. I will just let you know right now I am looking really good in the gym. I’m training with some top-up and coming guys. Some undefeated pro-MMA guys in my weight class. I’m doing really good. I feel great. I’ve just got to get my body healthy and get out there again. I could walk into a fight tomorrow and probably win against a lot of the guys but I still want to be better with my leg. So I’m going to take the time to get my body there.”
Five weeks after suffering a devastating leg injury at UFC 261, Chris Weidman is walking on his own --
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) May 29, 2021
(via @chrisweidman) pic.twitter.com/L1IBQJSvHo
He continued on to reveal that he wants to fight before his 38th birthday this June, and is going to do everything in his power to make a comeback to the UFC at some point this year.
“I want to fight before I turn 38 in June,” Weidman said. “That’s my goal. I hate seeing the older age on the screen when I get introduced. I’ve always been like that, even when I was in my 20s. I don’t want to be 29, I want to be 28 for the next one. So I still have that in me a little bit, now I’m just way older. So if I could fight around early June, that would be great. Again, there’s a lot in the air and it’s very unpredictable. This is a very serious injury. I’ve been through lots of injuries before, obviously you know I’ve had 25 surgeries. This is very different. There’s a lot of moving parts. So I have goals when I’d like to fight but I’m not going to die over a month or two difference. I am coming back and I am coming back in 2022.”
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