Dana White Planning to Have ‘Conversation’ with Chris Weidman Regarding MMA Future

Despite losses in five of his last six Octagon appearances, Chris Weidman didn’t sound like a man who plans on calling it a career on Friday night.

Weidman received a rude welcome to the light heavyweight division at UFC on ESPN 6, where Dominick Reyes dispatched him with a straight left hand and follow-up hammerfists 1:43 into the opening round of their headlining encounter in Boston. The Serra-Longo Fight Team representative only offered a few brief comments in his post-fight interview.

“I apologize I didn’t get the ‘W.’ That’s the game we play,” Weidman said. “I’ll be back better.”

Weidman seems far removed from his days as UFC middleweight champion, when he began his career with 13 consecutive victories and was regarded as one of the top fighters in the sport. During his recent struggles, all five of Weidman’s defeats have come via knockout or technical knockout.

That stretch has Dana White thinking that the 35-year-old known as “The All-American” should seriously consider his next move in MMA, whether that be retirement or a return to 185 pounds.

“What he said tonight didn’t sound to me like he’s considering retirement,” White said at the UFC on ESPN 6 post-fight press conference. “So it’s a conversation that he and I definitely need to have. This was his move up to light heavyweight, which obviously didn’t go well for him. So maybe he goes back down to middleweight, or thinks about maybe retiring.”