UFC fighter Chris Weidman snapped his leg in half during a fight against Uriah Hall on Saturday night and had to be transported out of the arena on a stretcher.
Weidman, a former UFC middleweight champion, “appeared to suffer the same gruesome leg injury in a loss to Uriah Hall that Anderson Silva suffered during a fight against Weidman nearly eight years ago,” ESPN reported. “Hall (17-9) defeated Weidman (15-6) via TKO just 17 seconds into their 185-pound contest at UFC 261, when Weidman’s lower right leg snapped after Hall checked his very first leg kick.”
WATCH (warning: contains graphic footage):
The first fighter in @ufc history to win without a single strike thrown #UFC261 pic.twitter.com/zxyu5XhYu3
— danawhite (@danawhite) April 25, 2021
Can't keep a champion down.
Wishing @ChrisWeidman a speedy recovery 🙏 pic.twitter.com/QuUdDQFVh2
— UFC (@ufc) April 25, 2021
“I’ve got nothing but respect [for] Chris Weidman,” Hall said. “He’s truly one of the best. It is a crazy story, that he was the first man I fought that defeated me [in 2010], that introduced me to fear. I didn’t know what fear was … we went different paths. He was the first one defeated Anderson [in the UFC]; I was the last. And it’s just crazy how we ended up here again. I wanted to put on a great performance, but man, I feel so bad. I hope he’s okay. I wish his family well.”
“I hope he’s okay. I wish his family well if you guys are watching.”
Uriah Hall had a classy message for Chris Weidman and his family after their fight at UFC 261 ended with an injury to Weidman’s leg. pic.twitter.com/m3yd5sSEsG
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 25, 2021
The UFC is one of conservatives’ favorite sports, and many of the league’s top figures openly embrace right-wing politics and even endorsed former President Donald Trump.
Ultimate Fighting Championship president Dana White spoke at the Republican National Convention last year where he urged Americans to vote for Trump.
“I spoke at this convention four years ago, and I’m back because I believe we need President Trump’s leadership now more than ever,” White said. “Before the pandemic, President Trump built the greatest economy in our nation’s history and created opportunities for all Americans like no one before him. Financial markets hit all-time highs, unemployment was at an all-time low, and we weren’t facing the lawless destruction that now is occurring in a few of our great cities.”
“In early April, President Trump organized a task force of business leaders across the country, and I was fortunate enough to serve on that task force,” White later added. “Firsthand, I had the opportunity to witness how hardworking and determined President Trump was to solve unprecedented problems our country was facing. I personally observed his ability to listen and understand the issues impacting Americans of all backgrounds. It was clear. His highest priority was always the health and safety of everyone in our country—not just Republicans, not just supporters, but every single American. President Trump recognized that one of the small ways to instill a sense of normalcy in people’s lives was to bring back entertainment options.”
UFC fighter Jorge Masvidal said after last year’s election that he may start attending conservative marches with other fighters after he saw left-wing extremists attack people.
“I bet I can get a couple of teammates and start attending these things #supernecessary,” Masvidal wrote. “And I say this not to promote violence. To keep the peace. We are all in this together #theressurection.”
And I say this not to promote violence. To keep the peace. We are all in this together #theressurection
— Jorge Masvidal (@GamebredFighter) November 15, 2020
Masvidal appeared in a two-minute ad for the Trump campaign where he stated the following:
I’m gonna let you in on something. The Democrats just think that they’re entitled to the Latino vote. They think that we just have to hand it over to them. That’s right. We sure as hell don’t.
They’ve got to show us what they can do for us, what they can do for our communities. We’re not going to buy the same wolf tickets and false promises that destroyed great countries like Venezuela and Cuba. It’s not gonna happen.
You know what else is not gonna work for them? Playing “Despacito” on your cellphone to pander to us. Hell no. You gotta give us some credit for having heads on our shoulders. I’m going to wrap this up with some words of Barack Obama; he said, “Elections have consequences.” That is true. And those words have never been more true than they are today. We either re-elect President Trump and Keep America Great … or we let Joe Biden destroy the greatest country the world has ever seen.
Now, I’m a professional athlete and I’ve been one for most of my life so I’ve seen things through a sports lens; that makes Donald Trump our head coach and before the global pandemic we were winning Super Bowls. And when you’re winning Super Bowls you don’t fire the coach — it doesn’t matter if you don’t like the plays he runs, the players he puts on the field, or what he says on Twitter. You sure as hell don’t replace him for another coach that’s been in the business for 47 years at every level and never won a f***ing game.
This article has been expanded after publication to include additional information.
