Chris Weidman, Dustin Poirier, and Jorge Masvidal discussed the physical toll of their fighting careers in a candid conversation about surgeries and injuries. Weidman detailed the titanium rod inserted in his leg after his infamous break, noting it offers no striking advantage and that metal in his hands actually hurts him when he punches. Poirier revealed he had a pin inserted after breaking his arm and described the painful extraction process, and also disclosed that a piece of rib cartilage from a donor was used to reconstruct his septum after two nasal surgeries — a third was skipped before his fight with Max Holloway due to the risk of losing blood supply entirely.
Three veterans of the UFC's most punishing eras recently sat down together to compare surgical scars and share frank accounts of what a long fighting career does to the human body.
Chris Weidman, the 42-year-old former UFC middleweight champion from the Serra-Longo Fight Team, addressed the titanium rod that was inserted into his leg following his widely seen leg break. Weidman was direct in dispelling any notion the hardware gives him an edge, adding that metal implants in his hands actually cause him pain when he punches. Standing six-foot-two with a 78-inch reach and a 16-8 professional record, Weidman built his legacy on relentless wrestling, averaging 3.27 takedowns per fifteen minutes across his career.
Dustin Poirier, 37, brought his own hardware story to the conversation. The 30-10 American Top Team southpaw revealed he had a pin inserted after breaking his arm and walked through the painful process of having it removed. More striking was his account of nasal reconstruction: after two surgeries on his septum, donor rib cartilage was used to rebuild the structure. A third surgery was deliberately avoided before his fight with Max Holloway because surgeons warned him the blood supply could be lost entirely. Poirier lands 5.24 significant strikes per minute and has a striking accuracy of fifty percent, numbers that reflect just how much contact his face has absorbed over a 40-fight career.
Jorge Masvidal joined the discussion to add his own experiences to the broader conversation about the physical cost of competing at the highest level.
Why it matters
- The conversation highlights how elite fighters manage serious structural injuries to extend their careers
- Weidman's comments on his leg rod add nuance to a story that has followed him since his 2021 fight against Uriah Hall
- Poirier's septum revelation underscores the calculated medical risks fighters accept when scheduling bouts
