Chris Weidman, the man infamously put an end to the dominating era of Anderson Silva at middleweight, has announced his retirement from being a UFC fighter.
The former UFC Middleweight Champion, 40, revealed the end of his career during the UFC 311 Weigh-In Show on Friday.
“Since I decided to get into this sport, since 2009, the goal was to be a UFC fighter,” Weidman said. “Then, immediately, the goal was to be a UFC world champion. 14 years later, I’m here to tell you guys I’m hanging up the gloves in the UFC. I’m no longer going to be fighting for the organization [where] I changed my life in so many ways. I’m super appreciative to everybody that got me here.”
Weidman took to MMA in the late 2000s after a career in wrestling saw him attain NCAA All-American status twice. He had a short run on the regional scene before inking a UFC contract, earning a middleweight belt in regional New Jersey promotion Ring of Combat.
Despite entering the UFC roster with the experience of just four pro wins, Weidman would continue to succeed. He strung together a streak of five victories in the promotion, beating names like Demian Maia and Mark Munoz and putting him next in line for a title shot by 2013.
Arguably the most iconic moment of Weidman’s career came at UFC 162, when he ended the historic 2,457-day middleweight title run of Silva in storybook fashion. Capitalizing on a boastful and easy-going fighting style from Silva—who was considered a massive favorite to win the fight—Weidman blasted the champ with a left hook in the second round, earning him the middleweight championship.
Weidman would go on to hold the title for the next two years, a reign which remains the third-longest in middleweight history. He beat former champ Silva in a rematch later that year, with a severe injury from a leg kick causing Silva to exit the fight in the second round once again. He later also got past Vitor Belfort via first-round finish and beat Lyoto Machida on scorecards.
The middleweight reign of Weidman would come to a close by 2015, when Luke Rockhold stopped him in the fourth round at UFC 194.
Weidman struggled in the post-championship years of his career, winning in just three of his last 10 pro appearances. The late years of his run in the UFC saw him make an impressive comeback at one point, returning in 2023 after a broken leg kept him on the sidelines for over two years.
His last appearance, a December matchup against Eryk Anders, Weidman was stopped in the second round with ground and pound.
“It’s been a ride,” Weidman said on Friday. “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. Even from the amount I’ve learned about myself, dealing with adversity, injuries, I had 30 surgeries. I put my body through a lot, and to be able to overcome that, it’s always tough. I’m just proud that the UFC gave me an outlet to compete against some of the best guys in the world.”
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