Chris Weidman hopes to prove he can still hang with the top at UFC 309.
Weidman (16-7 MMA, 12-7 UFC) faces Eryk Anders (16-8 MMA, 8-8 UFC) in Saturday’s prelims (pay-per-view, ESPNews/Hulu/FX, ESPN+) at Madison Square Garden in New York.
The former UFC middleweight champion is 1-1 since returning from his gruesome broken leg, most recently picking up a technical unanimous decision win over Bruno Silva at UFC on ESPN 54 in March. According to DraftKings, Weidman is a slight +120 underdog against Anders, who’s a -142 favorite.
“Fans can expect an awesome show,” Weidman said on Episode 1 of UFC 309 “Embedded.” “I’m trying to showcase my skills, put on a great display of mixed martial arts and completely dominate my guy, and really shock people. I’ve been gone for so long.
I’m 40 years old, I’ve had 30 surgeries, I’ve been through a lot, probably one of the worst injuries in the history of the sport with my leg breaking in half. To get to the other side and still have the ability to compete against the best guys in the world is what I’m trying to show.”
Weidman will compete in New York for the first time since a knockout loss to Ronaldo Souza at UFC 230 in November 2018.
“Very excited to get back in there in front of a hometown crowd in New York,” Weidman said. “Hopefully, a bunch of Long Island dudes and girls are there. I just think it will be a great time. It’s been a while since I fought in New York. So, to be able to come back there and put on a show for everybody is going to be awesome. I’m super excited about it.”
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 309.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Chris Weidman plans to ‘really shock people’ vs. Eryk Anders at UFC 309
