Efter skräckskadan tidigare under året så känner sig Chris Weidman att karriären inom MMA kan vara över, även om han planerar att se till att den inte är det.
Chris Weidman återvänder inte om han inte når samma form som innan
Tidigare under året fick den tidigare mellanviktsmästaren i UFC, Chris Weidman (15-6) erfara vad som kunde ha varit en karriärsavslutande skada. Det var under en match mot Uriah Hall (18-10) på UFC 261 som en spark från Weidmans sida slutade med ett brutet ben. Nu berättar Weidman att skadan kan innebära slutet för karriären då han planerar att avsluta karriären om han inte kommer tillbaka lika stark som innan.
Under ett medverkande under “The MMA Hour” med Ariel Helwani berättade Weidman att om han skulle komma tillbaka och känna att han inte kan prestera på samma nivå som han gjorde innan skadan kommer han inte att fortsätta karriären. Detta då han inte vill gå in i oktagonen bara för pengarnas skull utan att han vill kunna känna att han tillhör världseliten.
Listen, if my body was to the point where it was like, ‘Alright, you can’t do this anymore,’ I’d be done. If I felt like I was going to the gym and going with top guys and I just wasn’t able to do the things I used to be able to do and they were beating me, I wouldn’t just go into the cage to collect a paycheck and get beat up. I feel great. I felt great before this last fight, I felt amazing, I felt like I’m the best in the world and I was ready to have some big moments. So I’m gonna do everything I possibly can, take it day by day, a day at a time, to get back to that spot. And I’m just gonna try to control the things that I can control. When I get back into the gym and they say my leg is fully healed and I’m able to do things the way I was just doing pre-April, I’m 100 percent fighting and right now that’s where my mind’s at. But if for some reason I get back on my feet and they’re like, ‘This is the best it’s gonna be, Chris,’ and I’m not able to do the things I used to be able to do. I can’t grapple like I used to, I can’t strike like I used to or move like I used to, I’m not gonna do that to myself. I’m not gonna go in there and just get embarrassed. Unless I think I’m the best in the world, I’m not gonna fight.
Det svåraste var osäkerheten
Det svåraste med skadan var enligt Weidman själv just osäkerheten kring vad som händer härnäst.
The hardest part was being in limbo for that three- or four-week period where they were kind of like, some doctors were saying I should get the surgery, some weren’t but we had to get a better X-ray through that CAT scan to really find out. That just took longer than I’d like to and I just wanted to know one way or the other what the hell the deal was. That was tough for me to deal with. Going through that last surgery of mine, obviously breaking my leg and then everything that went with that, the pain and then the physical therapy afterwards, that was the most painful thing I’ve ever been through in my life. I’ve had neck surgeries, shoulder surgeries, hand surgeries, I’ve had some bad surgeries. There was nothing even close to the pain I was dealing with after that. So going into another surgery, I honestly was scared. I did not want to go through that type of pain again and thank God, it wasn’t even close to the same type of pain. I guess because of how traumatic that injury was just from that kick being so explosive over Uriah Hall’s leg, that really just was so much damage. There was so much damage from being stabbed from the inside out with my jaggedy bones going through the skin. I guess everything that happened with the surgery, it was just super, super painful, I wouldn’t wish it on anybody. So going back into another surgery where they’re going back into that area, I was worried. But has not even been close to the same pain, so I’m grateful for that. But it was scary.
Känner sig säker på återställda förmågor
Även om han skulle avsluta karriären om han inte känner att han når samma form som innan så känner sig Weidman att han återhämtar sig till samma form som innan.
Just getting to the point where I was walking before this last surgery—I know I was having pain moving around—I still feel like my abilities are gonna be there. With this fibula being fixed and everything healing properly, I think I’ll be right back to where I need to be. I’ll be able to deal with anything I need to. I’ll kick someone in the head, I’ll kick someone’s leg again, I’ll let them kick me. I don’t care, I’m willing to do whatever it takes. But that being said, if my body’s not responding, if it’s something that’s impossible to do, I’m not just gonna be going in there to get beat up. I’m trying to have some amazing moments. I’m trying to create some great moments and I really believe I have some great moments left in me inside the UFC. So that’s where my head’s at and I’m just gonna take it a day at a time and get through this and stay positive.
Huruvida Weidman återvänder till oktagonen eller MMA överhuvudtaget återstår att se.
