Jacksonville, FL — The scene that unfolded in the octagon during Weidman vs. Hall 2 at UFC 261 was so eerily reminiscent and Weidman vs. Silva 2, it was straight out of a Hollywood production.
At UFC 168 in 2013, Silva snapped his leg throwing a kick that Weidman had checked. Nearly eight years later, Weidman’s own leg fractured the exact same way, off the first kick thrown against Hall, who, like Weidman had years earlier, checked the attack.
A visibly upset Hall sat on his knees in the moments afterward. Weidman’s career was instantly put on hold, and in question. Hall, who grew up a fan of Silva, knows very well what Weidman will have to go through in terms of recovery.
“Honestly there’s not much to say. It sucks,” Hall said following the fight, speaking to media members backstage. “On both of our parts. The preparation leading up to this— the only thing I can do is just wish him well. I have respect for him.”
Hall went on to suggest that the media had been trying to build the rematch between the pair up ahead of the fight, saying that there was nothing but respect between the two. It’s not entirely clear where Hall’s comments stem from; most media outlets noted that Weidman did hand Hall the first loss of his career, but there was little to no mention of any bad blood between the two. Primarily, it was a rematch a long time in the making, one that has in effect been put on hold, though Hall remains open to a third fight.
“I wish him recovery, and I owe him a fight. It’s nothing bad, it’s just respect,” said Hall. “I hope he’s okay right now . It’s just unfortunate. I just wish him and his family well.”
Weidman was not the first time Uriah Hall has broken a leg checking a kick, he revealed Saturday. “In the past, I’ve actually broken a teammate’s leg by checking it. You don’t have to pick your leg up too high, it’s just driving it in at the right spot.” Hall heard a click when Weidman’s leg connected, and thought it was a slap.
“But I didn’t feel the slap on my calf. So I was like ‘that’s got to be his bone,'” Hall continued. “And when he landed, it clicked in. To be honest, it was just like the Anderson Silva, when he landed. It was weird, it was so weird. I just pictured Anderson Silva when he broke his leg.”
Watch the full UFC 261 post-fight press conference with Uriah Hall above.
