Chris Weidman strikes off his retirement plans with a controversial win against Bruno Silva in the UFC after 4 years. Weidman appeared to attack Silva and send him to the ground before jumping on the Brazilian to win via knockout. It’s evident from the video that Weidman poked at Silva’s eye, which prompted the UFC to modify the outcome to a technical decision victory.
The Controversial Win
Since he lost the UFC middleweight title in December 2015, Weidman has had difficulty winning. After suffering a horrific leg break in April 2021, things were even more difficult, but he defeated Silva in a controversial, highly visible, eye-poky win, a unanimous technical decision at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, to return victorious.
Weidman stated before the fight that he was considering retiring from the sport. After winning, he didn’t give up right away, suggesting that the 39-year-old will try to participate at least once more. However, his win after four years has kicked off controversies. He is the only fighter in the history of the UFC to win a match while avoiding four-eye pokes, losing no points, or even being eliminated for doing so repeatedly.
One such incident was during the contentious third-round finish sequence when Bruno Silva moved forward. Silva covered his eyes as Weidman suddenly delivered a startling mix of left- and right-eye pokes. The referee then signaled for a stop when Weidman downed Silva with a left hook and continued with a couple of hammer fists that hardly injured the Brazilian, and Weidman won. When the judges looked at the scorecards, replays reversed declared Weidman’s identical 30-27 scores.
Unfair And Frustrating, Says Bruno Silva
Bruno Silva demands a judicial intervention as he is unhappy about how things turned out in his last match against Chris Weidman. Bruno was infuriated as Weidman poked his eyes, and the referee halted the match. He expressed his frustration in his Instagram post as Weidman was declared the winner even after the technical decision, pointing out he was leading throughout the match. He wrote that the last day was unfair and frustrating for him. Silva said Weidman’s fingers shoved his eyes three times, and the last time he fell from pain.
Bruno Silva accused Weidman of eye-poking him during the fight. He felt the match was a draw and that he should get another chance against Weidman. He went so far as to demand that the commission set up a rematch between him and Chris Weidman. But even as Silva presented his version of events, Weidman did not appear overly happy at his opponent’s criticisms. Rather, Weidman yelled at Silva for “falling” to the ground after receiving a poke to the eye.
UFC Athletes Responded To The Controversy
UFC athletes expressed their disappointment with the outcome right away. UFC featherweight Sodiq Yusuff responded that the decision was wrong. He added, “That’s just wrong, man. With everything that comes with losing a fight, I feel for Bruno.” Bantamweight Brian Kelleher commented, “I’m sorry, but there’s some favoritism taking place here.” Diana Belbita expressed her dissatisfaction with the brief statement on X: “Noooo. I guess eye pokes are legal now.” Derek Brunson commented, “No contest is the only play here.”.
Weidman’s Leg Injury
Weidman suffered a major leg injury at UFC 261 against Uria Hall. After being carried out on a stretcher, he immediately had emergency surgery. The former middleweight champion of the UFC has since undergone a taxing process to get back on his feet and has resumed fighting recently.
Reports revealed the injury to be a compound fracture, which required multiple surgeries. After the first surgery, a rod was placed in his leg to stabilize the broken bone, and he was compelled to use crutches for weeks. Doctors suggested a second surgery as the injury was not healed properly.
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Weidman returned to the game recently, in 2023, after a two-year layoff. He faced Brad Tavares in the comeback match and lost in a unanimous decision. But later he revealed that he suffered another injury—a fracture in the upper tibia of the left leg.