What did Chris Weidman look like on his UFC 292 return?

Chris Weidman stepped into UFC 292 with triumph on his mind. He faced Brad Tavares in a bout that he hoped would have been the first in a series of wins to catapult him back into title contention. However, most of the sport's observers were on the lookout for something else.

The former All-American was making his return after taking two years away to recover from what is arguably the most gruesome leg break in UFC history. Not only did he snap his shin against Uriah Hall back in 2021, but he also required two surgeries as his leg wasn't healing properly after the first.

Weidman was hopeful, but hope can sometimes lead the mind astray, away from logic and into the unlikely realm of dreams. At UFC 292, Weidman did not get his dream return to the sport he loves. He was, instead, dealt a sobering defeat, marking his seventh loss in nine fights. But just how bad was the loss?

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Analyzing Chris Weidman's performance against Brad Tavares

Ahead of his matchup with the always-tough Brad Tavares, Chris Weidman felt slighted by his placing on the UFC 292 card. A longtime main card fixture, the former middleweight champion regarded his spot on the prelims as a sign of disrespect from the promotion. But did he have a point?

Weidman was not in an enviable position before his bout. He had lost six of his last 8 fights leading into the Tavares matchup, with every loss being either a knockout or TKO. Worse still, he was unranked and returning from a brutal leg injury that had sidelined him for two years.

So did his performance come fight night merit a spot on the main card? It turns out that it did not. Chris Weidman looked like a shell of his former self. Brad Tavares is unranked and was on a two-fight losing streak before UFC 292. No one confused him for an elite fighter, as evidenced by his position outside of the top 15.

Yet, Chris Weidman struggled to do much of anything against him. The former titleholder was once known for his high-level wrestling and exceptional grappling. As a two-time NCAA Division I All-American and Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, his strength is in scoring takedowns and dominating his foes on the mat.

Against Tavares, however, he failed to complete a single takedown. Part of that was due to his opponent's impregnable takedown defense, but it was also due to Weidman's refusal to commit to finishing his takedowns, which marks a departure from how he once doggedly pursued Yoel Romero, an Olympic silver medalist.

During his prime years, Weidman would commit to his takedowns, and if his opponent defended them, he'd do everything in his power to maintain his grip and turn into them at a deep angle to either upset their balance or score a trip. He did no such thing against Tavares and simply looked a step behind.

It's possible that he feared the consequences of putting any weight on his surgically repaired leg. But it hardly mattered given how viciously Tavares battered both of his legs with low kicks, causing the former champion to limp in agony on several occasions.

At certain points, it even seemed likely that Tavares was en route to finishing him with low kicks. While Weidman survived, it wasn't an inspiring performance, by any means. He lost via unanimous decision to an unranked fighter, who came into the bout on a losing streak. So where does he go from here?

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The aftermath and the future

Chris Weidman is 39 years old. After his loss to Brad Tavares, he is now 2-7 in his last 9 fights, with his only wins since 2015 being a lackluster decision over Omari Akhmedov—an unremarkable fighter, who isn't even in the UFC anymore—and Kelvin Gastelum, a former welterweight, who is 2-5 in his last seven fights.

Given that Weidman is large enough to have fought at light heavyweight, the win against Gastelum, which was more competitive than it had any right to be, has aged very poorly, especially in light of Gastelum's decline. Perhaps the worst thing about Weidman's loss to Tavares is the aftermath.

The former champion went into the fight expecting to mount a successful comeback after a two-year layoff due to a severe leg injury, but left the bout with his knee injured, according to UFC president Dana White. At the post-fight press conference, White revealed that Weidman had torn either his ACL or MCL.

To suffer a ligament tear in his knee after returning from a shattered shin is depressing. The only moral victory that Chris Weidman can take from his loss is that he, at least, avoided getting finished. But his dream of climbing the rankings to one day recapture the middleweight throne is over, or at least, it should be.

At the UFC 292 post-fight press conference, Dana White was asked by one of the journalists in attendance about his thoughts on Chris Weidman having one more fight to close out his run with the promotion. According to White, Weidman shouldn't consider another fight, pleading with him to retire.

It's the only sensible step forward for him. Chris Weidman has had a career of extreme highs. Not only is he a former champion, but he twice defeated a fighter who many once considered the GOAT. He ought to take solace in that and retire from the sport with his faculties still intact.