Former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman says he was surprised the promotion is inducting him into the UFC Hall of Fame.
Weidman, alongside legendary combat sports writer Thomas Gerbasi, was recently announced at UFC 328 as the latest inductee into the UFC Hall of Fame. The ceremony will take place in Las Vegas during International Fight Week in July, with Weidman, Gerbasi, Demetrious Johnson, Dominick Cruz, and the UFC 248 women’s strawweight title bout between Weili Zhang and Joanna Jedrzejczyk also being enshrined into the UFC Hall of Fame.
According to Weidman, he was very surprised by the honor.
Chris Weidman Admits Surprise by UFC Hall of Fame Honor
Speaking to MMA Junkie Radio in a recent interview, Weidman admitted that he was taken aback when he first heard he was being inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. Now an analyst for UFC broadcast partner Paramount+, Weidman was working the desk at UFC 328 alongside future Hall of Famer Dustin Poirier when the promotion revealed he was being inducted into the HOF.
“It’s a huge honor – I was completely caught off guard with it. Was not expecting it. I was working the desk and they asked me and Dustin (Poirier) to walk down cageside they could pan one of the camera over to us during one of the fights and promote the post-fight show. Me and Dustin were both saying the same thing. We’re like, ‘It’s a little weird. Why can’t they just do that same shot from the desk?’ But they had a plan. They surprised me. I was completely clueless and it was an awesome surprise and I’m honored. It was very exciting and it’s been such a long road, and to get the love like that and be honored with the ultimate honor you can get, is really cool,” Weidman said.
The Case for Chris Weidman in the HOF
When Weidman was announced as the newest inductee into the UFC HOF, some fans were surprised, since his overall record inside the Octagon was only 12-8. By merit, he has arguably one of the weakest UFC records of any fighter who’s in the UFC Hall of Fame.
That being said, Weidman was the first man to defeat MMA legend Anderson Silva inside the Octagon, and he did it twice. The fact that he beat Silva two times was probably enough on its own to get Weidman in, plus he also had notable wins over the likes of current UFC Hall of Famers Vitor Belfort (Pioneer Wing) and Kelvin Gastelum (Fight Wing), plus another potential HOFer in Lyoto Machida.
As far as Weidman goes, he’s just thankful that he was able to win his first nine UFC fights, because he lost eight of his last 11 bouts overall. But what he did in his first five years in the Octagon, especially beating Silva twice, was ultimately good enough to get him into the UFC Hall of Fame.
“After I had my first loss, I lost a lot. Thank God they measure you from your prime. Because if it was my post-prime, I’m not in the Hall of Fame. I’m glad I did some great things while I was young and it’s cool to be respected for that,” Weidman said.
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