Chris Weidman won a UFC Atlantic City fight against Bruno Silva via a technical decision after Silva was accidentally poked in the eye, causing him to fall and allowing Weidman to land a barrage of punches; the win was determined by the judges’ scorecards at the time of the stoppage, all of which favored Weidman.
Chris Weidman, the seasoned MMA fighter, didn’t mean to foul Bruno Silva in their UFC Atlantic City match. But, he can’t undo what happened before his technical decision win.
Originally, Weidman had a TKO victory. Silva dropped to the canvas midway through the third round. Weidman then unleashed a flurry of punches, causing the stoppage.
Replays, however, told a different story. It was actually a pair of eye pokes that made Silva turn and fall in pain. Referee Gary Copeland was none the wiser until it was too late.
The officials? They reviewed the footage. They decided not to let the fouls dictate the outcome. Instead, they turned to the judges’ scorecards at the stoppage time. The winner? Weidman, hands down. All three judges gave him a 30-27, marking his first win in nearly four years.
Post-event, Weidman had mixed feelings. He wished things had played out differently. He also pointed out Silva’s reaction, which led to the stoppage.
“I’ll never question a guy if he says he gets poked in the eye,” Weidman said. “But you can’t just drop every time you feel something touch your eyeball.” He added that he stood his ground when Silva poked him in the eye.
Weidman expressed regret over how things unfolded. This was a pivotal moment in his career, especially after a devastating broken leg nearly ended his MMA journey three years ago.
His first fight back in August didn’t go well. So, Weidman had a lot riding on his performance on Saturday night. He won, but the 39-year-old veteran wished there wasn’t such a dark cloud hanging overhead.
Weidman knows he didn’t intentionally foul Silva. So, he’s not letting the result ruin his celebration.
“Did I want to poke him in the eye? No, I’m unhappy that I poked him in the eye,” Weidman said. “But when you’re fighting with these small gloves, [eye pokes] kind of just happen.”
Weidman felt rejuvenated in the octagon. His leg, which had troubled him in his previous matchup against Brad Tavares, felt better.
“I’m 39 years old,” Weidman said. “My leg is just getting back to where it’s not painful. I threw leg kicks today, I threw head kicks. I couldn’t even throw my leg last time.”
He admitted considering retirement. If he had lost, he might have hung up his gloves. But he won. So, he’s here.
With a win under his belt — controversial or not — Weidman anticipates more fights. He’s excited for whatever comes next.
“I still think I have a lot of potential,” Weidman said. “I’ve had a lot of adversity. I still think I have it. Until I think I don’t have it anymore, I’m here. I love it. This is fun. I still got my looks. So until one of those start going, I’m here. This is too much fun. I was meant to do this.”