Doctor Jonathan Amato has worked with several athletes and UFC fighters, but the physical therapist and strength coach can't remember a fighter with more mental toughness than Chris Weidman.
And given the horrific leg injury he suffered in his last fight earlier this year against Uriah Hall, Weidman is going to need every ounce of that toughness to return to the octagon.
"As far as mentality goes, he's probably one of the hardest workers," Dr. Amato told Pete Hoffman on the latest episode of The Fight Fan. "He's like a dog with a bone. When he gets his mind on something, he doesn't let it go. Other people that had this injury at the age he's at and at this stage of his career, they probably would have packed it in after that, because he's probably looking at a year of rehab before he gets back in the octagon or the cage and starts really training properly."
Weidman broke his leg in two on the first strike he landed against Hall, and tried to put his foot back down on the mat before falling over in agonizing pain. The 36-year-old New York native is likely in the latter half of his career, but Dr. Amato doesn't think age will be enough to stop his comeback.
"Most people would hear that and kind of shy away and say 'I've done enough, I'm done,' but he's 100 percent ready to rock," Dr. Aamato said. "He wants to get back in the cage. He's said that numerous times and to me when I've spoken to him a couple times. So he's got this unbelievable grit."
It certainly isn't uncharted territory for Weidman, who has undergone 23 surgeries in his life, but it will be the worst injury he's had to overcome, as his foot was still numb after having a rod installed in his leg to reset the bone in May.
"He's had his fair share of injuries," Dr. Amato said. "He's had hand surgery and neck surgery, a bunch of knee surgeries, and he always comes back strong. Of course there's always gonna be underlying issues after any kind of surgical intervention, especially with a horrific break like he had, but you can already see his will to move forward is already kind of unparalleled.
"He's walking on his own without crutches right now, which is probably ill-advised by his doctor…but it just kind of shows how much he's willing to push to keep things moving forward."
Regardless of grit and determination, it will be a long road back, but not an impossible one. He has to look no further than Anderson Silva, who suffered a similar injury against Weidman back in 2013. So a road back to the octagon is possible, but it will be lengthy.
"When he stepped back, he put the bone through the calf muscle, so now there's soft tissue damage as well," Dr. Amato said. "We have to make sure the muscles are firing properly before even attempting it. But Anderson Silva after 13 months got back in the cage and was back to training at about 80-90 percent or so. That's a fairly realistic expectation. Anderson was a little younger when it happened, age does play a factor as far as growth hormone, healing factor, that kind of thing…but I think a 12 month kind of window…there's no reason why he shouldn't at least be hitting pads and starting to work on his footwork and getting himself back in a groove."
Listen to Dr. Amato's full interview on The Fight Fan below!
