Sunday MMA Quick Hits: Sylvia Returns, Weidman “Definitely” Coming Back

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Chris Weidman UFC
JACKSONVILLE, FL - APRIL 24: Chris Weidman of the United States breaks his leg on a kick attempt on Uriah Hall of Jamaica during UFC 261 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena on April 24, 2021 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Alex Menendez/Getty Images)

Tim Sylvia returned to combat sports after years away, while Chris Weidman is targeting his own return to the UFC later this year. It’s Sunday, and we’ve got that and some really quick KOs in your Sunday MMA Quick Hits!

Tim Sylvia wins SlapFIGHT Championship Debut

We’ve barely spared more than a dozen sentences on the whole slapfighting scene, because 1) it’s not MMA and 2) well, it’s kind of dumb. Slapfighting blew up thanks to viral social media clips, but watching a full event is tedious at best.

That said, it was only a matter of time before a mixed martial arts notable or two made the jump to the sport. Tim Sylvia, former UFC heavyweight champion, is among the first — which raised eyebrows, given Sylvia’s MMA career came to a close when he failed to get medical clearance for a scheduled fight that saw him weigh in north of 370lbs.

That was in 2015; Sylvia ended his MMA run with a 31-10 record, having fought for the UFC, ONE Championship, and other promotions. Now, at 47, “The Maine-iac” has notched his first win in slapfighting, KO’ing an opponent announced only as “The Bouncer.”

Sylvia appears to have avoided any serious damage, though his lesser-known opponent didn’t get off so easily. Hopefully both were well paid for this spectacle, which had another UFC legend, Mark Coleman, catching bodies — quite literally, as he was on hand to break the fall of any athlete unlucky enough to be knocked down/out.

Juan Espino announces his retirement

The Ultimate Fighter 28 heavyweight winner Juan Espino will always be something of a “what if” when it comes to MMA. Injury, inactivity, and age kept “El Guapo” from progressing the way many had hoped.

Last week, the Spanish heavyweight announced his retirement at age 42. He broke into the UFC in 2018, winning TUF 28, but would only compete twice, going 1-1 following the Ultimate Fighter finale. His last action was in 2021, where he was defeated by Alexander “Kong” Romanov.

A world-champion grappler, Espino cited injuries in his decision to hang up the gloves.

Lightning-Quick KO, BKFC 41 Edition

Seven seconds is all it took on the BKFC 41 prelims, but that wasn’t the only quick KO on Saturday.

Lightning-Quick KO, RIZIN Landmark 5 Edition

Twenty-seven seconds for this beauty from RIZIN Landmark 5, with Shinobu Ota catching opponent Kazuma Kuramoto with his chin up.

Chris Weidman “Definitely” Fighting Again, Per Ray Longo

Coach Ray Longo says Chris Weidman will fight again.

Weidman hasn’t been seen since snapping his leg in a fight with Uriah Hall in 2021. The scene was eerily reminiscent of the legendary Anderson Silva breaking his own leg in a fight with Weidman years before; like “The Spider,” Weidman has remained focused on fighting again despite the severe break.

Now, Longo, a longtime coach of the former champ, has given an update on his progress.

“He’s definitely fighting again,” Longo revealed to MMA Junkie Radio recently. “I’m going to say that’s 100 percent and in the gym, he had guys that he was training with – I was at a fight, Ring of Combat, maybe a couple of months ago, and his guys were in the dressing room telling me the guy’s an animal. He’s just dropping people in the gym and that leg is stronger than it ever was. I just asked Chris and he said he’s kicking like a mule with it, which is insanity to me. So he sounds great. He’s still a major problem in the room.”

Weidman has targeted July for a potential return to action.

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