Chris Weidman was revealed as the just in inductee to the UFC Hall of Fame during Saturday’s UFC 328 broadcast. The former middleweight champion will be inducted into UFC’s “modern wing.”
Weidman made his UFC debut in March 2011 after just four professional mixed martial arts bouts. Weidman brought a collegiate All-American wrestling pedigree to the Octagon, having wrestled at Nassau Community College before transferring to Hofstra.
After five victories to kick off his UFC career, Weidman was placed in the role of challenger to Anderson Silva, the long-reigning middleweight champion, in 2013.
Despite entering the Octagon as a +210 underdog, Weidman clipped Silva on the chin as Silva attempted his trademark stylistic defense, resulting in a stoppage win and the championship for Weidman. The win broke Silva’s incredible run of 10 consecutive championship defenses.
“Chris Weidman is one of the greatest middleweights in UFC history,” UFC president & CEO Dana White stated in a press release. “Chris consistently competed against the best athletes in the world during his career, and his victories over Anderson Silva changed the landscape of the middleweight division forever. It will be an honor to induct him into the UFC Hall of Fame this summer.”
Weidman successfully defended the title in a rematch when Silva gruesomely snapped his leg while throwing a leg kick and followed that up with successful title defenses against former UFC champions Lyoto Machida and Vitor Belfort.
Weidman dropped the championship in a TKO loss to Luke Rockhold in 2015. That loss kicked off a quick downward turn in Weidman’s career, as he has gone 3-8 since (including the Rockhold loss).
Weidman also suffered his own leg break in a bout with Uriah Hall in 2021, echoing the way he defeated Silva in their rematch.
With an 18-6 record, 14-6 in the UFC, Weidman becomes the just in member of the 2026 class, joining Demetrious Johnson, Dominick Cruz, the first bout between Zhang Weili and Joanna Jędrzejczyk, and UFC writer and editorial director Thomas Gerbasi as this year’s inductees.
