Chris Weidman is coming back at 39 years old to give it one more shot.
The former UFC middleweight champion of the world was shattered in a very weird moment. He won the UFC title in a comical knockout versus the great Anderson Silva, but it’s how he defended it that was truly shocking. Anderson Silva breaking his leg on Chris Weidman’s chin will never be forgotten. It’s a graphic image that went viral through the internet and everyone’s minds.
Nobody was closer to the break than Chris Weidman. He actually got to feel Anderson’s leg shatter. Weidman was so dense that Anderson just simply broke, the greatest at the time broke in half, it was mind-boggling.
Fast forward 8 years and we see it happen again. This time Weidman, the man who broke the greatest in 2013, broke in 2021.
With that history noted it’s time to talk about his next fight. Chris Weidman vs Brad Tavares is set for UFC 292. See the Chris Weidman vs Brad Tavares breakdown by Paulie G below.
This fight comes down to one thing, is Chris Weidman still the same guy. The answer is going to be no. Weidman is a little older at close to 40 years old. He broke his leg horribly, he even had a bad surgery and took longer to heal. Chris Weidman is tough, he is a fighter and he’s not backing down. He is doing this for himself to see how good he is now.
Brad Tavares is tough and has good takedown defense. Weidman went up in weight but is now fighting at middleweight. Brad has been with the UFC for since 2010 and was never in the same league as Chris. Chris the All-American has always been a special athlete. If Chris were to lose to Tavares it would signify that he’s no longer a world-class fighter and has fallen into the mediocre category. Weidman was top-ranked during his UFC career. His career began to take a downturn in 2015 when he lost to Luke Rockhold at UFC 194. He then lost to Romero and Mousasi, but Chris was still ranked highly and won his next bout against Gastelum. Losing to Jacare Souza and Dominick Reyes after that but still fighting big names. Weidman then went up to 205 and beat Omari Akhmedov, after that, he went back down to middleweight where he broke his leg versus Uriah Hall.
Brad Tavares has faced some big names but not at the right times. He’s the guy that other guys built their name off. Brad Tavares deserves more respect. He’s durable and he’s been with the company for thirteen years. Tavares deserves this fight, he gets the opportunity to face a former champion. He’s faced guys like Israel Adesanya but he did it when Adesanya was still coming up and he lost that fight. He also recently had a fight with Dricus Du Plessis but he lost that fight also, another example of a UFC fighter making a name off Tavares. Tavares has good cardio and more likely than not his fights go to decision. Chris needs to be careful, MMA is a brutal sport and Tavares will most likely be going after Weidman’s right leg. Chris is reliant on the takedown, if he can’t get it he’s more limited. Tavares wants to keep this fight standing up.
If Weidman isn’t the same guy we might see a surprise here. Anderson somehow healed and kept on fighting and never broke his leg again. We will see if Chris is as fortunate as he’s taking a big risk here.
I’m picking Chris Weidman to win the fight, but Brad Tavares has a good chance here if Weidman has lost movement or if at 39 Chris Weidman is not the same guy. There’s a possibility that Weidman isn’t the same fighter. I don’t believe in freak injuries, I believe if you get injured you are breakable. Once something breaks it’s never the same. Like a salvage car after a car crash. I know people believe in surgery and think you’re as good as new afterward but I have to disagree. It’s a salvaged Chris Weidman vs Brad Tavares, that is what we are looking at going into UFC 292.
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