Former UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards and rising contender Jack Della Maddalena are on the verge of a title shot. Edwards vs. Maddalena headlines UFC Fight Night in London on March 22, with the winner on the shortlist of title challengers.
UFC announced Edwards vs. Maddalena on Friday. Belal Muhammad is widely expected to defend his title against Shavkat Rakhmonov next, but Edwards and Della Maddalena, ranked No. 1 and No. 4 respectively in the UFC’s official welterweight rankings, are well positioned to step up if an opportunity arises.
Edwards returns after Muhammad snapped his 13-fight undefeated streak at UFC 304 last July. The English fighter successfully defended the welterweight title twice before losing to Muhammad in Edwards’ home country. Della Maddalena is a perfect 7-0 in the UFC and won his last 17 fights consecutively. Most recently, Maddalena stopped veteran Gilbert Burns with a Hail Mary knee and elbows.
Another confirmed bout for the London card is Jan Blachowicz vs. Carlos Ulberg, plus appearances by Molly McCann, Alonzo Menifield and Jai Herbert.
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Former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman has officially ended his career. Weidman, 40, announced his retirement on Friday’s UFC 311 weigh in show.
“Since I decided to get into this sport, since 2009, the goal was to be a UFC fighter,” Weidman said. “Then immediately the goal was to be a UFC world champion. Fourteen years later, I’m here and I’m here to tell you guys I’m hanging up the gloves in the UFC. I’m no longer going to be fighting for the organization that changed my life in so many ways. I’m just super appreciative to everybody that got me here.”
A young Weidman rocketed to the top of the UFC middleweight division, debuting with the promotion in 2011 and fighting for the title in 2013. Weidman shockingly ended Anderson Silva’s legendary title reign by second-round knockout. Weidman caught Silva playfully with his guard down and stopped him. They rematched five months later. Silva’s leg was infamously shattered after Weidman checked a leg kick.
“It’s been a ride,” Weidman said. “From being an undefeated world champion and being able to beat one of the greatest of all time in Anderson Silva, and then being able to defend my belt three times against some of the greatest legends of the sport. Even from the amount I’ve learned about myself in dealing with adversity and injuries, I’ve had 30 surgeries. I put my body through a lot and to be able to overcome a lot of that was always tough.”
Weidman defended the middleweight title three times by beating legends Silva, Lyoto Machida and Vitor Belfort. “The All-American” lost his title to Luke Rockhold, a fight that sparked Weidman’s downfall. Weidman went on a 3-8 skid starting with the Rockhold loss.
Weidman’s rollercoaster career suffered another major setback in 2021 after Uriah Hall checked a leg kick that broke Weidman’s leg in a manner nearly identical to how Weidman broke Silva’s leg. Weidman fought three times after recovering, sandwiching a technical decision win over Bruno Silva between losses to Brad Tavares and Eryk Anders.
“I’m just proud that the UFC gave me an outlet to compete against some of the best guys in the world,” Weidman said. “I’m proud of the resume and the type of guys I was able to fight, I respect them all so much.
“It’s weird, it’s kind of part of your identity. You’ve got to move on, so I’m opening up the new chapter of my life and I’m excited about the future and I’m leaving the door open for opportunities, any big opportunities out there, but we’re moving on to see my life develop in different ways.”
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