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Chris Weidman didn’t tell anyone that retirement was on his mind ahead of his fight with Bruno Silva at UFC Atlantic City.

Despite previously stating that his ability to get through a training camp without any serious injuries or severe pain would determine his future, the former UFC middleweight champion admits that wasn’t actually the case. Instead, Weidman confessed on The MMA Hour that his performance against Silva ultimately decided whether he would continue fighting or not.

“I probably would have retired if I didn’t perform out there,” Weidman said. “If [Silva] came at me and beat the crap out of me, I think I was going to put my gloves down. I didn’t really even tell my wife or anybody that, but in the back of my head, I was [ready to retire].”

Looking back at his camp, Weidman couldn’t have imagined a better lead-up to get ready for a fight. Unlike his initial return from a broken leg this past August, Weidman felt better than ever this time around, but that didn’t mean it would all translate into the fight.

That’s why Weidman kept thoughts about retirement to himself. He knew the people around him all saw how much he improved between fights, but the outcome still mattered most.

“All my training partners, my coaches, everybody, they think I’m better than ever,” Weidman said. “They can’t believe how good I am. They think I’ve become one of the best guys in the world again, but in my head, I’m like, I’ve done everything already and I know my potential. I know what they see. I know I could be in there with anybody.

“But if I’m not able to put it together in the UFC, in the cage in front of everybody, I’m not going to do it anymore. So if I didn’t perform well, I think I was done.”

Once the fight began and Weidman found success in all facets of his game, his demeanor shifted rather dramatically.

He outstruck Silva on the feet in nearly every exchange. He also threw kicks with bad intention, which is something he struggled to do in his first fight back against Brad Tavares.

Even with a somewhat disappointing finish, in which eye pokes effectively ended Silva’s night rather than strikes, Weidman knew he had plenty left to give.

“I told myself I wasn’t going to retire,” Weidman said. “My body felt so good all training camp.

“I felt so good, unless I couldn’t perform in there, then I don’t think I should be done.”

Now that he’s determined to fight again, Weidman isn’t necessarily rushing back, but he’s also not opposed to building on the momentum from his recent win.

He’s taking a much-needed vacation with his family right now, but the 39-year-old hinted at his interest in potentially returning when UFC 302 lands in New Jersey on June 1.

“We’ll see what happens,” Weidman said. “I’m going to take a week off. I’m going to get back into the gym. I came out healthy. I’ll get back into training and try to get better and we’ll see what’s out there. I know there’s another Jersey fight in June.

“I’ll tell you what, the love that I got from that crowd — I know everybody on Twitter hates me right now, but if you were in the arena that night, you loved me. It was awesome in there. The crowd was really cool. I think it was a great experience for everybody in there. It was a fun time. So that northeast love and things worked out for me, especially in Atlantic City, and 100 percent of the time in New Jersey.”

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Brendan Allen and Chris Curtis came face-to-face at the conclusion of the UFC Vegas 90 weigh ins earlier today, just one day in front of their middleweight main event on ESPN+, scheduled for Sat., April 6, 2024 from inside the promotion’s APEX facility in Las Vegas.

Get complete UFC Vegas 90 early weigh ins results here.

Allen was originally scheduled to fight No. 5-ranked Marvin Vettori, who was replaced by Curtis after “The Italian Dream” went down with an undisclosed injury.

“If I beat Chris on Saturday, I’m still going to be No. 5 next week,” Allen told reporters at the UFC Vegas 90 media day (watch it here). “You shouldn’t be able to stay where you’re at after being out for so long and then pulling out of fights. Other than that, I don’t really care. I’m going to move up. I’m going to go up and it’s old news from there. You could have fought me last year. You could’ve fought me this weekend. So, kind of see you later, buddy.”

Curtis defeated Allen by technical knockout at UFC Vegas 44.

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 90 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the ESPN+ preliminary card matchups, which are scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. ET, then the remaining main card balance (also on ESPN+) at 6 p.m. ET.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC Vegas 90 news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here. For the updated and finalized “Allen vs. Curtis 2” fight card and ESPN+ lineup click here.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

“The King of Rio” returns, and he rightfully makes top billing in the new poster for UFC 301.

The UFC on Thursday released the official artwork for the May 4 pay-per-view event, and the artwork features a colorized headshot with former featherweight kingpin Jose Aldo.

Check out the poster below.

UFC 301 is headlined by a flyweight title fight between champ Alexandre Pantoja and Steve Erceg, whose title shot raised eyebrows despite his three-fight winning streak. Pantoja defends the title for the second time after outpointing Brandon Royval at UFC 296.

Aldo serves as the co-headliner in a fight against Jonathan Martinez. Aldo unexpectedly returned to the UFC fold after a brief boxing career. Martinez has won his past six fights including a leg-kick TKO of Adrian Yanez in his previous appearance.

The UFC 301 main card airs on ESPN+ pay-per-view and takes place at Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro. It’s the promotion’s 12th visit to Brazil and the first trip to Rio in 16 months.

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The UFC Vegas 90 main event fighters, Brendan Allen and Chris Curtis, officially weighed in on Friday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.  On Saturday, they’ll compete in the same venue.

Allen (23-5) will enter the bout riding a six-fight winning streak and ranked sixth in the 185-pound division.  Five of those wins came by way of submission. Curtis (31-10, 1 NC) won his last bout against Marc-André Barriault via split decision and is ranked 14th.  Both men tipped the scales at 186 pounds.   

UFC Vegas 90 Main Event Weigh-In Video

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Could it be? Is Conor McGregor’s return to the UFC actually going to happen? If you take what Dana White’s Instagram story read on Friday morning as a seed planted, perhaps we’re heading in the right direction.

On an all-new edition of Heck of a Morning, MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck reacts to White’s tease of McGregor’s octagon return, discusses when it could happen, and why it could be an incredibly interesting story outside of just a fight. Additionally, listener questions include potential surprises that could happen at UFC 300, Joaquin Buckley following his win over Vicente Luque at UFC Atlantic City, the pros and cons from Thursday’s PFL San Antonio card, Charles Oliveira recently saying he’d rather face McGregor than Islam Makhachev, and much more.

You can listen live to Heck of a Morning Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays at 10 a.m. ET on the MMA Fighting Twitter Spaces.

If you miss it live, audio-only versions of the podcast can be found below, on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, and wherever you find your favorite podcasts.

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