Chris Weidman return targeted for UFC Atlantic City against Bruno Silva

Chris Weidman is mounting another UFC comeback.

A matchup pitting the former UFC middleweight champion against Bruno Silva is being targeted for UFC Atlantic City, which takes place March 30 at Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall. MMA Fighting confirmed the targeted bout with sources close the situation on Friday following an initial report by Laerte Viana, however the matchup has yet to be finalized.

Weidman (15-7) once again seeks to return from injury after suffering a fracture in his leg midway through his August 2023 loss to Brad Tavares. That bout was Weidman’s first following a 28-month layoff, the result of a devastating leg break Weidman suffered just 17 seconds into his April 2021 matchup against Uriah Hall.

In total, the 39-year-old former champion has dropped four of his past five fights and seven of his past nine since his title reign ended with a knockout loss to Luke Rockhold in 2015.

Silva (23-10) has also fallen on hard times as of late. The 34-year-old Brazilian has lost four of his past five bouts, sandwiching a win over Tavares between losses to Alex Pereira, Brendan Allen, Gerald Meerschaert, and most recently Shara Magomedov.

Prior to that slump, Silva kicked off his UFC run with a trio of stoppage wins, two of which ended in the first round.

MMA Fighting’s Guiherme Cruz and Damon Martin contributed to this report.