>> Mike Goldberg: He is the
"All American" Chris Weidman. >> Narrator: The
feature bout of UFC 292... >> Goldberg: He may be amongst
the best middleweight prospects in the world. >> Narrator: ...will see the
return of former middleweight champion, Chris Weidman. >> Referee: Let's fight! [dramatic music] >> Anik: He is
a man who many believe is the top middleweight prospect
to hit mixed martial arts. >> Kenny Florian: This guy is a
very, very talented individual. Look at that! >> Anik: And talk
about making a statement. >> Florian: He can
wrestle and he can strike. >> Buffer: Five rounds
for the undisputed... >> Narrator: An All American
wrestler from Long Island, who became the first
man to defeat Anderson Silva in
the UFC. >> Rogan: Wow, big
shots there by Weidman. Oh, my goodness! >> Goldberg: Chris
Weidman is the UFC middleweight champion!
>> Buffer: And...new! >> Narrator: And would go on to
defend the title against legends of the sport. >> Rogan: Chris Weidman
is a monster! >> Touch gloves and do this. >> Rogan: He's just a tough
wrestler with knockout power and an unbelievable will.
[Weidman yelling] >> Narrator: Although
Weidman has since relinquished the title... [crowd chanting
"Let's go Weidman!"] ...it was not until
April of 2021, that he would face the greatest
challenge of his career. >> Anik: Well, Weidman says, "I
need at least one more big win to start thinking
about some bigger goals." Huge, huge fight for him
tonight against a decorated striker in Hall. >> Rogan: He's sensational. He has incredible
timing, incredible striking. He can put it all
together tonight. >> Herb: Ready? Ready?
Let's fight! [anticipatory music] [kick lands violently with
a smack] >> Rogan: Oh, my gosh! >> Herb: Stop!
>> Rogan: Oh, my gosh! Man, his leg just
folded in half. Weidman is in agony. >> Herb: Chris, just breathe. I want you to breathe, Chris. [medical personnel in unison]:
One, two, three. >> Man: Chris,
let's get out of here. >> Rogan: First kick thrown... [audience applauding in
display of support] ...and then
immediately snapped in half. His shin just shattered
and then he stepped on it. >> I felt great
going into that fight. I was like, "Man, I'm going
to go out there and just completely
dominate this dude. [kick thwacks]
[crowd exclaims] >> Herb: Stop! >> Weidman: I just wound up
and kicked as hard as I possibly could. >> Herb: Relax! Relax! >> Weidman: And kaboom. >> Herb: Chris, breathe. Breathe, buddy.
[Weidman groaning in agony] >> Weidman: The
pain was just brutal. The whole thing was a nightmare. >> Woman: Coffee ice cream
with cookie dough and brownie. [spoon clanking rapidly] Can you not...
>> Weidman: That's three. >> I like it.
>> Woman: You're making a mess. >> Hello. >> Weidman: The
biggest thing for me was I want to be
able to roll around on the floor with my kids and
play with them and you know, play sports
with them outside. >> Woman: Okay, birthday boy. >> Birthday boy! Let me kiss you. [kiss smacks] And the idea of
not being able to do that again, that was very hard. All right, what else we got?
>> We got this one! >> Weidman: It's
wrestling shoes. Those are sick. >> Woman: Don't you
remember what we bought him? >> It's amazing trying to
reprogram my brain and learn how to walk again. The whole process was a complete
nightmare, really long, and tough to get through. What really got me through
it is my faith in God and the opportunity that I have
now in front of me to help and inspire others. Expect me to come back as
fast as I possibly can, while listening to my body. [dramatic instrumental music] Ah. [sniffs] I'm a good example
of no matter what injuries or setbacks that you have, that doesn't mean it's the
end of whatever you want to accomplish. [suspenseful music] <i> [woman singing]
♪ I will speak up ♪</i> <i> ♪ I'll stand my ground ♪</i> <i> ♪ I will not stand back ♪</i> >> My story is not done yet. <i> [woman singing]
♪ One missed step ♪</i> >> Longo: Yes! <i> [woman singing]
♪ And it's all gone ♪</i> >> I'm about to come
back and accomplish some big things in the UFC. <i> [woman singing]
♪ Push hard be loud ♪</i> [punches rapidly striking pads]
>> Trainer: Bang! [men grunting] <i> [woman singing]
♪ And move faster</i> jump higher ♪ >> Weidman: I want to
show that this time off wasn't just me recovering, it was me getting
better and better and I have the ability to become
the best in the world and become a champion again. <i> [woman singing]
♪ Claw deeper ♪</i> >> Trainer: Three...two...one. Time. [Weidman exhales sharply] >> Get that, dad. >> Narrator: Weidman's road back
to a UFC title, begins with an
August 19th showdown against Brad Tavares... a Las Vegas local, born of the
Hawaiian islands... >> All the locals from
Hawaii come here to Vegas. There are eight major islands in
the Hawaiian island chain and so they call Vegas
the ninth island. >> Narrator: ...first
inspired by a home-grown hero. >> Tavares: Ready, boys? >> Man: Yes, sir. >> In Hawaii, especially where
I'm from, this little town, Hilo, where BJ Penn is from. >> Rogan: Oh!
>> Goldberg: Big knees! Sherk in big trouble!
>> Rogan; Sherk's in trouble! >> Everybody looked up to him. It was the fighters
that were the cool guys. So that's who we all
wanted to be growing up. We wanted to be known as
the tough guy, the guy that could scrap. Some of my closest friends, we became friends by
getting into fights. I don't come from a
martial arts background. I never did box,
kickbox, and wrestle. I never even did karate
or taekwondo growing up. I literally started
fighting by fighting. I never got to grow up coming
up in martial arts, so I'm glad that my kids get
the opportunity. When I fight, I feel like it's
one of the most important things to represent Hawaii. If you really think about it,
we're just this small little speck in the middle
of the Pacific Ocean. Run, Xy-Xy. Grab the leg and run it. There's not a lot of people in
Hawaii as other places in the world; other states,
or countries even. So to be from Hawaii and make it
to a main stage like the UFC, to get to represent your home,
your state, your people-- I think it's important. Good job.
[electronic bell dinging] And I've always tried
to represent that and represent it well. Good job, baby. [dramatic music] >> Narrator:
Fighting clearly runs deep in the family blood line and Tavares has been showcasing
that innate desire for combat, by battling elite
UFC middleweights for the past 13 years. >> Cormier: When Tavares gets
into this flow, man, he's as good as they come in the
middleweight division. >> Anik: The ceiling is
certainly high for one of Hawaii's finest. >> Rogan: And he's
fighting killers. Guys like Romero Romero--he
shows real greatness. >> Narrator: He's shared the
Octagon with former champion, Robert Whittaker... reigning king,
Israel Adesanya... >> Jimmy Smith: Tavares
not out of this fight. Tavares still trying
to win this fight. >> Rogan: He's as
tough as nails, he's as game as they come. >> Narrator: ...and number one
contender, Dricus du Plessis. >> Cormier: Du Plessis is hurt. >> Florian: Very impressive
what Tavares has done in this middleweight division. >> Narrator: Through
ups and downs, Tavares has never lost sight
of what drives him. [rapid percussive beating] >> Cormier: He's
been in the game for awhile and when you have
been in the game for awhile, you start to question, what's
the motivation? >> Trainer: Let's
keep it moving. Keep that same tempo and pace. >> Cormier: He still has
championship aspirations, because he understands
how good he truly can be. [medicine ball slapping
on the floor] >> Trainer: Over the top!
Over the top! Over the top! Yep. Yep. <i> [man rapping] ♪ Thought
that they killed me ♪</i> <i> ♪ Left me for dead ♪</i> <i> ♪ But I'm still alive
and I'm coming for heads ♪</i> >> Trainer:
Get tall, stand down. <i> [man rapping]
♪ Walked out the cage ♪</i> <i> ♪ Bloody and bruised
with lions and bears ♪</i> >> Trainer: Yep. >> I've always
wanted to get that strap. >> Trainer: Big
squeeze at the top. >> That's going to
continue to be the goal... to be the champion. >> Trainer: Let's go. [exercise bike whirring] >> But I've always been a
guy that hasn't looked past what's right in front of him and what's right in front of
me right now is Chris Weidman. >> Rogan: One of the toughest
dudes that's ever stepped into the Octagon. >> I'm going to go out there
and completely dominate him everywhere. >> Goldberg: Chris Weidman. <i> [man rapping]
♪ I am a legend ♪</i> >> Rogan: Wow! <i> [man rapping]
♪ I defeated the greats ♪</i> >> Rogan: Weidman is an animal. Oh! Vicious ground and pound! <i> [man rapping]
♪ I am a warrior ♪</i> >> Anik: The All American! >> Just show that I'm
on a different level. <i> [man rapping]
♪ Blood sweat and tears ♪</i> >> Anik: Wow! [man rapping]<i>
♪ I will survive ♪</i> >> I'll go out there and
I'll beat him and that will prove
that I'm one of the best. >> Rogan: Oh, Tavares hurt him! He hurt him bad! >> Narrator: Weidman aims for an
iconic comeback against one of the division's most
tested warriors, before champions go to work-- as strawweight queen,
Zhang Weili... >> Anik: She's just on a
totally different level. >> Narrator: ...faces Amanda
Lemos in the co-main event. >> Anik: Oh! There is a new
strawweight contender! >> Narrator: And reigning
bantamweight king, Aljamain Sterling... >> Rogan: He is the man at
the top of the heap of the most exciting division
in combat sports. >> Narrator: ...faces "Sugar"
Sean O'Malley in the headliner. >> Anik: The Sugar Show! >> Narrator: It all goes down
in Boston, on August 19th. [music ends]
