Ahead of his return from the Octagon from a catastrophic leg injury suffered in 2021, former undisputed middleweight champion Chris Weidman doubled down on his interest in a future fight with reigning champion, Israel Adesanya – considering he still poses threats to the Nigerian Kiwi.
Weidman, the former undisputed middleweight champion under the promotion’s banner, has been sidelined since he appeared in his rematch against Uriah Hall back in April 2021, suffering a horrific compound fracture to his right tibia and fibula inside the first half of the bout. first round.
However, to return to the Octagon at the time, Weidman is now scheduled to fight at UFC 292 in Boston, MA – with soon-to-be common enemy, Brad Tavares at the pay-per-view card.
Chris Weidman believes he could be a threat to Israel’s champion Adesanya
And after booking his comeback against Tavares later this year, Weidman admitted he hopes to return to a title fight against Adesanya – now doubling down on those calls, claiming he could cause many problems for the kickboxing staple.
“Nobody has accomplished what I’ve accomplished in the middleweight division besides Israel Adesanya in terms of title defense and all that,” said Chris Weidman. Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour. “I love that rivalry. I think once people see me back there and see that I’m not this old bum at this point, and see that I have some serious threats to bring to the table, I think I’m going to be a really bad match. [Israel Adesanya]. “
“But, I have to prove it, and until then, I’m going to shut my mouth and go out there and prove it against Brad Tavares,” Chris Weidman explained. “I think they will see enough in that battle where they will believe.”
Sidelined since he took on UFC 287 back in April of this year, Adesanya managed to regain the middleweight title with a stunning second-round victory over arch-rival Alex Pereira in Miami, Florida.