More than a decade after delivering one of the most shocking knockouts in MMA history, former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman announced his retirement on Friday during the UFC 311 weigh-in show.

“Our goal since 2009 has been to be a UFC fighter,” Weidman said. "Then, my goal was to become a UFC world champion. Fourteen years later, here I am, and I'm here to tell you, I'm hanging up the gloves in the UFC. I'm not going to fight anymore thanks to this one that has changed my life in so many ways. organization and I’m so grateful to everyone who got me here.”

The news comes a month after losing to Eryk Anders at UFC 310, his second loss in three fights. He retired with a 16-8 MMA record.

The 40-year-old Weidman, the 185-pound champion from 2013 to 2015, reached the top of the sport when he ended Anderson Silva's seven-year reign at UFC 162. Silva is one of the greatest figures in MMA history, winning 17 straight championship fights and looking unbeatable until Weidman proved otherwise.

Weidman's second-round knockout caught Silva with a left hook just as Silva was doing one of his signature moves. The unexpected result derailed the UFC's plans for a massive superfight between Silva and either then-light heavyweight champion Jon Jones or then-welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre.

At the moment of the knockout, Jones jumped from his cageside seat, mouth agape in stunned silence. "I told Jon Jones, I said, 'You lost countless dollars tonight. Congratulations!'" UFC president Dana White said during the post-fight press conference.

The victory over Silva allowed Weidman to go 10-0 and successfully defend his title three times, including a rematch with Silva, where Silva broke his leg during a kick and Weidman won by TKO.

"I don't think it's an accident when you try to check the kick and it works," Weidman said of the win. "Otherwise, if I didn't check the kick, I would have a big bruise on my leg right now...so you try to check the kick."

After losing to Luke Rockhold at UFC 194, Weidman began a difficult campaign that would see him lose eight of his remaining 11 fights in his career. Weidman even suffered a broken leg in a match against Urijah Hall in 2021 and missed the next two years.

After returning from injury in 2023, Weidman gave up his decision against Brad Tavares, but bounced back with a technical decision victory over Bruno Silva.

Weidman is eyeing a potential retirement fight against Anders at UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden, which could be a homecoming for the former champion. Born and raised near Baldwin, New York, he lived in the Long Island community until moving to South Carolina during the COVID-19 pandemic. Weidman was a two-time NCAA Division I All-American wrestler at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York.

Anders was forced to withdraw due to food poisoning, and the fight was rescheduled to December's UFC 310 in Las Vegas. Weidman lost by technical knockout.

"It's been a journey," Weidman said of his career. “From being an undefeated world champion, to being one of the greatest players of all time in Anderson Silva, to being able to defend my belt three times against some of the biggest legends in the sport. I have a lot to say about myself. I’ve learned a lot. I’ve been through 30 surgeries, I’ve been through adversity, I’ve been through injuries, and I’m proud that the UFC gave me an opportunity to compete with the best in the world.”

"I'm starting a new chapter in my life and I'm excited about the future and I'm open to opportunities, any big opportunities. But we're moving on and seeing my life develop in different ways."