UFC legend Chris Weidman has called it quits, a day after a storied career ended with another defeat last month.
The New Yorker is a former middleweight champion who stopped Anderson Silva twice to end his iconic run at the top of the division. However, after defending his title against Lyoto Machida and Vitor Belfort, he was relieved of the title by Luke Rockhold.
From then on, he struggled to string together a winning streak, managing just three wins in nine years and never hitting another streak. He was last defeated by Eryk Anders at UFC 310 after their fight was rescheduled from a month earlier.
Chris Weidman announces UFC retirement
During the weigh-in show for UFC 311 on Friday night, Chris Weidman was part of a broadcast team that also included Laura Sanko and fellow legend Daniel Cormier. And during the late stages after the shocking announcement of a new main event, he gave his own surprising update.
“Ever since I decided to start in this sport, since 2009, the goal was to become a UFC fighter,” he told his fellow broadcast team members. :The immediate goal was to become a UFC champion. 14 years later, I'm here to tell you that I'm hanging up the gloves in the UFC.
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“I will no longer fight in the organization that changed my life in so many ways. I'm very grateful to everyone who brought me here, so that's the latest news. I just want to thank the UFC for all the opportunities they have given me.
“It really has become a family, from the Fertitta brothers and Dana White to Hunter Campbell, Joe Silva, the matchmaker who originally brought me in, Mick Maynard and all the staff. They're all like family, great people, but it's time to move on.
“I would like to thank my family for their support all these years, through the ups and downs. My coaches Ray Longo, Matt Serra, all the guys from when I moved to the Carolinas, and all my training partners.
Chris Weidman lost his last fight to Eryk Anders
The final night of Weidman's career didn't go his way as he was stopped by Eryk Anders at UFC 310 in Las Vegas. He didn't lay down the gloves that night, but he also hasn't made any statement about his fighting future yet.
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Despite a win in his most recent fight prior to UFC 310, Weidman looked about 40 years old inside the Octagon. With 10 seconds left in round 2, the referee stepped in to save Weidman from additional damage to his back and waved off the fight.
Weidman's initial protest against the strike was not approved on social media. Following the loss, fans and pundits took to Twitter in an attempt to encourage Weidman to hang up the gloves.
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