White says he needs to have a ‘conversation’ with Weidman about retirement
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“This was his move up to light heavyweight, which obviously didn’t go well for him. So maybe he goes back down to middleweight, or thinks about maybe retiring.”
Chris Weidman’s UFC light heavyweight debut was, by all means, a disaster.
The former UFC middleweight champion moved up in weight in hopes of securing a title shot against Jon Jones, but those dreams were crushed in the first round of the UFC on ESPN 6 main event, where ‘All-American’ was brutally knocked out by undefeated light heavyweight contender Dominick Reyes.
UFC on ESPN 6 marked Weidman’s fifth knockout loss in his last six fights, and UFC president Dana White thinks it’s time to have a ‘conversation’ with the 35-year-old about retirement.
“What he said tonight didn’t sound to me like he’s considering retirement,” White said at the post-fight press conference at Boston’s TD Garden (h/t Damon Martin of MMA Fighting). “So it’s a conversation that he and I definitely need to have.
“This was his move up to light heavyweight, which obviously didn’t go well for him. So maybe he goes back down to middleweight, or thinks about maybe retiring,” White added.
This will be a tough pill to swallow for Weidman, as the MMA veteran had his sights set on a light heavyweight title fight with Jon Jones.
Weidman’s only win the last four years is a submission victory over Kelvin Gastelum who, as of today, is ranked No. 4 in the UFC’s official middleweight rankings. Expect Weidman to issue a statement on social media in the coming days.