One of New York’s favourite sons in the UFC won’t be getting his chance to fight at Madison Square Garden. Just minutes before the start of UFC 309, the promotion announced that Chris Weidman’s fight with his opponent Eryk Anders is off due to illness. The three-round middleweight bout was to take place on the undercard.
Chris Weidman (16-7 MMA, 12-7 UFC) and Anders (16-8 MMA, 8-8 UFC) both appeared to make weight at the weigh-in on Friday. Both had expressed their excitement for the fight. Neither he nor Eryk Anders has commented on the cancellation at the time of publication. The duo were to fight before the prelims main event.
The promotion announced the cancellation at the start of the “Prelims” broadcast. Anders is the one who was forced to withdraw at short notice, due to reasons not known yet. The All-American fan-favorite Weidman from Team Longo-Weidman MMA would’ve looked forward to another brutal showing, however it went.
Due to a medical issue involving Eryk Anders, his fight with Chris Weidman has been cancelled. #UFC309 pic.twitter.com/iFdcgffmkZ
— UFC (@ufc) November 16, 2024
Completely devastated pic.twitter.com/FXMmYiOkAz
— Chris Weidman (@chrisweidman) November 16, 2024
He would have liked to continue momentum after a win over Bruno Silva in March. Although some pokes and holes would have had him embroiled in another controversy. Eryk Anders was aiming for three wins out of four. He had recently become recreational drug-free for the first time in 14 years. With Anders’ last-second withdrawal, UFC 309 proceeded with 12 total bouts.
Chris Weidman planned to ‘really shock people’ vs. Eryk Anders
Chris Weidman had high hopes to prove he can still hang with the top at the UFC 309 pay-per-view (PPV). ‘The All-American’ former UFC middleweight champion is 1-1 since returning from his gruesome leg break.
Chris Weidman had high hopes for UFC 309 (Source: agfight/express.co.uk)Most recently, Weidman snagged one in at UFC on ESPN 54 in March, with a TKO flipped to decision. According to DraftKings, Weidman was a slight +120 betting underdog against Anders, a -142 favorite. But that did not curb the enthusiasm out of the 40-yar-old. Matter of fact, he had plans to put on a show.
Fans can expect an awesome show, …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.
Chris Weidman on Episode 1 of UFC 309 “Embedded”
These days, the All-American is a post-fight ESPN MMA fight analyst and a member of the morning Weigh-in show. Weidman was to compete in a New York billing for the first time since a knockout loss to Ronaldo Souza at UFC 230 in November 2018. While it did not come to pass, the fighter will be sitting ready for his next challenge.
