Chris Weidman has sent a warning to Conor McGregor ahead of his UFC return.
‘Notorious’ hasn’t fought since breaking his leg during a trilogy bout with Dustin Poirier three years ago, but he expects to fight Michael Chandler this summer.
McGregor broke his leg at the end of the first round of the UFC 264 main eventCredit: Getty
Weidman knows what McGregor is going through after suffering the ‘worst injury’ in UFC history when he fought Uriah Hall in April 2021.
The former middleweight champion, who famously dethroned MMA legend, Anderson Silva, snapped his leg with the first kick he threw in his disastrous 17-second fight with Hall.
Weidman suffered some setbacks during his recovery journey and even feared that his damaged leg may have to be amputated before returning to the Octagon in August 2023.
The 39-year-old looked a shell of his former self, but he managed to go the 15-minute distance in a unanimous decision defeat to perennial contender Brad Tavares at UFC 292.
After doing what McGregor hopes to do later this year, Weidman has told the Irishman to expect his previously injured leg to be a target for Chandler and any future opponents.
“Be ready for guys to kick your legs right away,” he said in an interview with GiveMeSport.
“They’re going to be going for it. You know, it’s not like when Anderson Silva broke his leg with me, he [returned to fight] Nick Diaz. Nick Diaz, I don’t think threw one leg kick against him, it was almost like a gentleman’s thing.
“With me now, these guys, they’re going to hunt your legs, they’re going to find out they’re going to do whatever they can to win. So just be prepared for that. There’s no gentlemen’s agreement. So be ready.
Weidman suffered a horrendous leg break in 2021Credit: Reuters
Tavares employed a kick heavy to beat Weidman in his comeback boutCredit: Getty
“And also, be ready to really try to fire back your own kicks of your own. It wasn’t easy for me to do. I wasn’t really able to do it and I thought I was going to be able to do it. So just be prepared for that.”
Weidman will continue his comeback journey this weekend.
The American is set to square off against Bruno Silva, who has a win over Tavares, at the UFC’s latest event in Atlantic City, New Jersey on Saturday night.
McGregor has documented his healing process and has shared a plethora of sparring footage that shows him testing out his new ‘titanium shin bone’ on training partners.
It remains to be seen exactly how McGregor’s leg will hold up when some of the very best fighters on the planet are doing their best to break it again.