Chris Weidman has issued a statement on his UFC Boston loss and it’s clear that he has no plans to retire at this time.
Weidman took on Dominick Reyes this past Friday night (Oct. 18). The former UFC middleweight champion was moving up in weight. While Weidman felt he could jump the line to meet Jon Jones if he defeated Reyes, it wasn’t meant to be. “The Devastator” stopped Weidman in the first round.
Chris Weidman Has No Plans To Retire
Weidman issued a statement through his Instagram account. While he’s aware that some fans are calling for him to hang his gloves up, the “All-American” will continue to compete.
“I just want to let everyone know I’m all good just obviously bummed with the result. I knew Dom was a tough fight and he proved to be more than that with a beautiful timed left hand that put me down in the first. I jumped in with a right hand and the range was off and he capitalized. Sucks for me.
“As for what is next for me… I’m hearing a lot of ‘you should retire comments’ and I get where you are coming from based on the results of my recent fights. It’s crazy because with a win over Reyes the chances of me fighting for the world championship were very strong. Now to be getting hit with the retirement talk is really a big swing for me to get used to hearing. I will tell you that I am def, not ready to retire. I still love this and am very hungry to get back in there. I believe I have the abilities to still be world champion. I know some of you are shaking your head and laughing at me when I say that .. well screw you and thanks for the motivation. This fight I was coming off a year lay-off, 2 major surgeries, and a weight class change.
“Way too much time out of the gym and I feel like that did play a role in this fight. The fact that I’m healthy right now and can get back in the gym is territory that I’m not used too. I will be back soon and I will look good doing it. Thank you, everyone, for your support and I’m sorry to let you down. This extreme low in my career will be part of my story and I will finish on top. Thank you to my friends and family and sponsors @monsterenergy @cbdmd.usa @fellowshiphomeloans @medtronic who stand behind me in my high and low moments! Thank you to God for blessing me with all that I have and am so undeserving of. Every day is a gift and I’m so thankful to be able to experience that gift even when my goals and desires aren’t met.”
UFC president Dana White told reporters during the UFC Boston post-fight press conference that he was unsure of Weidman’s fighting future. White said he’ll discuss whether or not Weidman plans to move back down to middleweight or retire. Now it’s clear that the answer won’t be the latter.
