Chris Weidman thought he might have leg amputated after brutal UFC 261 break (Video)

Former UFC champion Chris Weidman's leg break in April 2021 might be the worst injury we'd ever witnessed in the Octagon.

If you haven't seen it (or made the smart choice to avoid it) Weidman threw a kick which was checked by his opponent Uriah Hall. Weidman stepped back on the same foot and the bone snapped through his skin and he collapsed screaming on the canvas just 17 seconds into the bout.

That injury took years to heal, including several surgeries.

During that recovery process, as things were not going as planned, Weidman considered the possibility that he may have to have his leg amputated.

“I was pretty scared about this pain because I’m thinking about the worst-case scenario,” Weidman said in a clip from the E60 documentary released by ESPN. “Worst-case scenario is that the blood supply doesn’t come back to my bone and it doesn’t take, which would mean possible amputation.”

“I go back and I see vaguely my leg split in half,” Weidman said. “I’m like, ‘What the f*ck – there’s no way that’s my leg.’ Then, all of a sudden, the pain starts coming. I couldn’t believe it. The paramedics come in, they’re trying to move my leg around, and I feel the bone, and I see the bone sticking out of the leg. I’m like, ‘Oh my God, please just get me pain pills.'”

We all know the story now. Doctors were able to save his leg and Weidman made his return to the Octagon in 2023. He didn't win that fight but his leg held up and he says he will not be retiring.

“How about the challenge and the story? That just excites me,” Weidman said. “I love when people are counting me out.”

The full documentary is streaming now on ESPN + which you can watch here.