Chris Weidman has stepped into the Octagon for the last time.
The former undisputed UFC middleweight champion announced on the UFC 311 Weigh-In Show that he had reached the end of the road for his career on the sport’s biggest stage, and was announcing his retirement.
“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 world champion,” he explained.
“Fourteen years later, I’m here and 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 that changed my life in so many ways. I’m just super appreciative to everybody that got me here.”
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Weidman became a superstar when he rise through the ranks from blue-chip prospect to undisputed UFC middleweight champion by sensationally knocking out Anderson Silva at UFC 162, then defending the belt three times.
He would go on to drop the title to Luke Rockhold, then suffer a career-threatening broken leg that left him on the shelf for almost two years. But, incredibly, Weidman battled his way back to the Octagon and was able to secure one more victory before he eventually decided to call time on his UFC career.

“It’s been a ride,” he said.
“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 in dealing with adversity and injuries, I’ve had 30 surgeries. I put my body through a lot and to be able to overcome a lot of that was always tough.
“I’m just proud that the UFC gave me an outlet to compete against some of the best guys in the world. I’m proud of the resume and the type of guys I was able to fight, I respect them all so much.”
Talk of his future had Weidman admitting he wasn’t 100 percent sure of his next move, but said he was looking forward to kickstarting this new chapter in his life as he prepares for life outside of the Octagon moving forward.
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“It’s weird, it’s kind of part of your identity,” he said.
“You’ve got to move on, so I’m opening up the new chapter of my life and I’m excited about the future and I’m leaving the door open for opportunities, any big opportunities out there, but we’re moving on to see my life develop in different ways.”