"Is this karma?" - Fans react after Chris Weidman reveals excruciating eye injury sustained in UFC Atlantic City clash against Bruno Silva

Chris Weidman returned to the octagon at UFC on ESPN 54 this past weekend defeating Bruno Silva via technical decision. While it marked his first victory since 2020, the bout was not without controversy as there were several eye pokes, including in the finishing sequence which ultimately led to 'The All-American's TKO victory being overturned.

Although much of the attention was on the former middleweight champion poking his opponents' eyes, he was also a victim of a brutal eye poke. Weidman shared a photo of his eye days later, which MMA Orbit shared on X, captioning the post:

"Chris Weidman’s eye days after his #UFCAtlanticCity win over Bruno Silva 😳"

Check out a photo of Chris Weidman's eye below:

Fans did not express much sympathy for Weidman despite the brutal state of his eye. @dylinthishoe questioned:

"is this karma?"

@What_a_Bets wondered on the status of Silva's eyes after he suffered multiple eye pokes throughout the fight:

"What about Bruno Silva’s eyes?"

@FacklamGunner labeled it as the worst eye injury he has ever seen:

"Subconjunctival hemorrhage. That Red Sclera looks sick. That might be the worst Ive seen 😬"

Check out the best fan reactions below:

Fan reactions

---

Chris Weidman weighs in on eye poke controversy following Bruno Silva bout

Chris Weidman picked up his first victory since 2020, and his first since gruesomely breaking his leg, when he defeated Bruno Silva at UFC on ESPN 54. The former middleweight champion faced plenty of criticism after poking his opponent's eyes multiple times during the bout. Speaking to Ariel Helwani of The MMA Hour on Wednesday, 'The All-American' addressed the controversy, stating:

"It sucks. It was unintentional. For people out there, because I've seen it - I haven't looked too much, but I've seen it where people think that I intentionally poked him in the eye. I just want you to know that if I had the dexterity and the wherewithal, I would take my one finger and find his eyeball and poke it. Why wouldn't I just knock him out anytime I wanted?... It's obviously completely unintentional, and I would never think about cheating. That's just not who I am."

Check out Chris Weidman's comments on the eye poke controversy below:

Following the bout, Weidman faced criticism for how he celebrated his victory. The former middleweight champion criticized Silva for falling after being poked in the eye, claiming he failed to protect himself.