Former UFC middleweight champion Chris
Weidman is set to make his first combat sports appearance since
suffering a nasty leg break in April 2021.
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Weidman announced via Instagram that he will face Owen
Livesey a grappling match at Polaris 23 on March 11. The event
takes place at the Doncaster Dome in Doncaster, England, and airs
on UFC Fight Pass.
“Back in the game!” Weidman wrote. “To clarify, this is a grappling
match, which I see as good preparation for my next fight. I
anticipate being ready in late May/June.”
Weidman hasn’t competed since UFC 261, when he was injured after
having a kick checked by Uriah Hall
just 17 seconds into their bout. Weidman broke his right fibula and
tibia and
underwent multiple surgeries to have it repaired.
Weidman is just 2-6 in his last eight UFC bouts dating back to
December 2015, when he relinquished the middleweight crown to
Luke
Rockhold in a fourth-round TKO loss at UFC 194. A former NCAA
Division I All-American wrestler at Hofstra, Weidman is a Brazilian
jiu-jitsu black belt who competed at the ADCC Submission Wrestling
World Championship in 2009 — the same year he made his professional
MMA debut.