Former Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight titleholder Chris Weidman had cameras follow him on a recent doctor visit to update fans on the possibility of needing a second surgery on the broken fibula he suffered in April at UFC 261.
Chris Weidman’s broken leg not healing properly
The New York native made headlines this week during an appearance on MMA on SiriusXM‘s MMA Today show when he informed podcast hosts Ryan McKinnel and Miesha Tate that he would require more surgery on his broken leg after finding out his bones were not “healing properly.”
“I’m actually getting another surgery, I just found out,” Weidman said Wednesday. “I’m getting another surgery, most likely on August 11. They’re going to have to plate the fibula bone because I guess it’s considered a non-union so the bones aren’t healing the way it’s supposed to, which kind of sucks.”
Following the news, Weidman, 37, posted a video on his YouTube channel of his visit to his orthopedist. He also spoke in greater detail on the issues that led him to seek out more opinions on the slowed progress in his post-operation healing.
“About three weeks ago I noticed my leg was kind of plateauing. Just painful when I walked and really wasn’t progressing,” Weidman said in the video. “Basically, some doctors — prominent doctors without mentioning names — got a hold of my x-rays and I started getting some different opinions on what’s going on with my leg.”
“And one of the major things that they were saying was they thought my tibia bone may have not been compressing enough to where it [will have] primary bone healing. Because they thought maybe the rod was too long and the screws were keeping the bones from compressing the right way to actually heal. The other concern from looking at the x-rays was the fibula wasn’t unionizing the right was for it to heal.”
What could be the next steps for Weidman in his recovery process?
After having 3D x-rays done, and then reviewed by his doctor, Weidman explained that his tibia was healing better than the fibula, but will require a small procedure due to correct a “butterfly fracture” on the front of the bone. The fibula however is not healing correctly, or “unionizing,” and it was suggested he would need to have a plate inserted over the bone to help in the healing process.
Weidman said that an official surgery date is not set because he plans to visit get several other medical opinions, including from the UFC’s in-house experts. He expects to make a final decision on whether to go forward with more surgery in the next couple of weeks.
“I kind of expected setback in this recovery process. I didn’t necessarily think I was going to have to get another surgery, and a setback this much, but I feel like God has a plan for me. And I’m going to keep a positive outlook on everything,” Weidman said.
Weidman has had 24 previous surgeries to correct other injuries suffered during his athletic career.
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