A little more than a month after his most recent fight, Chris Weidman has decided there won’t be a next one – at least not in the UFC.
Weidman (16-8 MMA, 12-8 UFC) on Friday announced his retirement on the weigh-ins show for UFC 311 at the host hotel in Los Angeles. Weidman said only a few people in his inner circle knew the decision was coming.
Weidman at UFC 310 this past December was knocked out by Eryk Anders in the second round. The fight was a 195-pound catchweight bout on account of the fact the two made weight two weeks prior, but had their bout bumped because of an Anders illness on fight day.
“Since I decided to get into this sport, since 2009, the goal was to be a UFC fighter. Then immediately, the goal was to be a UFC champion,” Weidman said on the weigh-in show. “Fourteen years later, I’m here to tell you that I’m hanging up the gloves in the UFC. I no longer will be fighting in the organization that changed my life in so many ways.”
Weidman, 40, started his pro career 9-0, including 5-0 in the UFC. He got a shot at middleweight champion Anderson Silva and upended his aura with a stunning second-round knockout that has become one of the biggest title fight moments in UFC history.
Then fought again six months later, and Weidman won by TKO when Silva infamously snapped his leg in half throwing a kick.
“The All-American” defended the 185-pound belt twice more against Lyoto Machida and Vitor Belfort, but lost it with a fourth-round TKO to Luke Rockhold in December 2015.
That setback was the start of a lengthy rough patch for Weidman in the latter half of his career. He went 3-8 with seven knockout losses – and one of those was the ultimate cruel irony when he snapped his own leg in half against Uriah Hall in a shockingly similar manner to the way Silva broke his leg against Weidman a little more than seven years prior.
But Weidman’s legacy was cemented with his wins over Silva.
“It’s been a ride, from being an undefeated world champion and being able to beat one of the greatest of all time in Anderson Silva, and then being able to defend my belt three times against some of the greatest legends of the sport,” Weidman said. “… I’m just very grateful. It’s a weird one. I’ve been calling myself a UFC fighter since 2011, and today maybe for the first time I can’t say that.”
But Weidman didn’t rule out fighting elsewhere. Like many UFC fighters who have retired in recent years, they’ve popped back up in boxing matches or in bareknuckle fights.
“… I’m opening up a new chapter in my life, and I’m excited about the future,” he said. “I’m leaving the door open for big opportunities out there. But we’re moving on to see my life develop in different ways.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Ex-middleweight champion Chris Weidman announces UFC retirement
