After Anderson Silva's Defeat, Middleweight Champion Chris Weidman Sidelined for Chronic Rib Injury

The current UFC Middleweight Champion, Chris Weidman, came out of left field and shocked the mixed martial arts world. His defeat over Anderson Silva is considered by many to be the greatest upset in UFC history. Since then, he has remained undefeated, and it seems that he will continue to defend his belt for the foreseeable future. In recent news, however, it looks like the brute will be taking some time off after the worsening of a chronic rib injury.

In February of 2009, Weidman made his MMA debut in Louis Neglia's Ring of Combat 23, where he was able to submit his opponent within the first two minutes of the first round.

Weidman entered the UFC in March of 2011. He took the fight with only two weeks notice, and he replaced the injured Rafael Natal. In a surprise move, he defeated Alessio Sakara with a unanimous judges decision.

Since then, he has been a force to be reckoned with within the Middleweight division. He greatest achievement took place at UFC 162, where, according to MMA Fighting, his knockout of Anderson Silva ended an era:

"Though this kid from Long Island, he had a certain way about him. Despite the scoffs and stifled chuckles, he vowed...to defeat the undefeatable Anderson Silva. A minute into the second round, Silva ate one left hook, jiggled his legs in feigned distress, then ate another. Weidman caught Silva on the jaw with a devastating left hook, dropping the legend instantly, and then finished the job with a brutally efficient series on the ground. An inglorious end to a near-mythical run if there ever was one..."

Sadly, Weidman fans are going to have to wait for quite a while before they see the champ defend his belt yet again. According to MMA Mania, Chris will be on the sidelines for quite a while for a chronic rib injury:

"Chris Weidman was forced out of his much-anticipated title fight against Vitor Belfort, which was set to go down at UFC 184. Weidman revealed that it was during wrestling practice that he suffered the setback that ultimately resulted in fractured cartilage in his rib. It's an injury that Weidman reveals increases in pain with something as simple as a sneeze. Despite his desire to stay on course for the fight, his doctors pulled the plug."

What do you think about the situation? Let us know in the comment section below.