Ex-UFC Rivals Recreate One of the Most Sickening Moments in MMA History

Longtime combat sports fans might not want to remember this moment from UFC 261.

(Zuffa LLC)

A pair of former UFC rivals recently decided to have a bit of fun with fans and recreate the moment that caused one of the most gruesome injuries in MMA history.

Combat sports fans have witnessed plenty of nasty injuries over the years, and the most notable recent one to occur in the UFC was an arm injury that cost Alexandre Pantoja his flyweight belt just 26 seconds into a title bout with Joshua Van at UFC 323.

That injury thankfully turned out to be less severe than it looked to be when it first occurred, but a recent run-in between former UFC Middleweight Champion Chris Weidman and Uriah Hall gave MMA fans a chance to remember a far more gruesome ending to a fight.

Uriah Hall & Chris Weidman Relive Gruesome UFC 261 Leg Injury

Posted by former UFC middleweight contender Hall, “Prime Time” and Weidman recently ran into each other and decided to recreate the ending to their rematch at UFC 261.

Ran into this guy 😆 @chrisweidman pic.twitter.com/JUlQUFE0D9

— U R I A H H A L L (@UriahHallMMA) March 2, 2026

Scheduled as part of a UFC 261 main card that featured three title fights, the rematch between the two middleweights took place more than 10 years after Weidman handed Hall his first professional loss at Ring of Combat 31.

Chris Weidman (Blue Gloves) breaks his leg on his first kick against Uriah Hall (Red Gloves) during UFC 261 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. | Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

That first meeting ended via TKO just over three minutes into the first round, but their second fight at UFC 261 only lasted 17 seconds after Hall checked an early kick from Weidman and broke the former UFC middleweight champion’s leg in the process.

Broken Leg Sidelined Chris Weidman For More Than 2 Years

The gruesome moment was made all the more impactful by the fact that it was eerily similar to Weidman’s infamous middleweight title rematch with Anderson Silva, which ended early in the second round when Silva also snapped his leg after having a kick checked.

(EDITOR'S NOTE: graphic content) Anderson Silva (blue gloves) breaks his leg on a kick to Chris Weidman (red gloves) during their UFC middleweight championship bout at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Although it came via injury TKO, Hall’s win at UFC 261 both avenged his previous loss to Weidman and also put “Prime Time” on a four-fight win streak that turned out to be the best run of his UFC career. The former The Ultimate Fighter finalist dropped his next two fights before exiting the UFC, and after going 1-1 in boxing the 41-year-old has recently found success competing for Karate Combat.

Weidman was already more than five years removed from his reign as UFC middleweight champion when the rematch with Hall took place, and the injury he sustained kept him out of action for more than two years before he returned at UFC 292 and dropped a unanimous decision to Brad Tavares.

Chris Weidman (red gloves) celebrates after defeating Bruno Silva (not pictured) during UFC Fight Night at Boardwalk Hall. | Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images

“The All-American” did take a controversial win over Bruno Silva in March 2024 but closed out his UFC career with a stoppage-loss to Eryk Anders at UFC 310. Weidman was scheduled to make his boxing debut in a trilogy bout with UFC Hall of Famer Silva last November, but that matchup was scrapped after the card’s headlining fight between Jake Paul and Gervonta Davis fell through.