Chris Weidman, Dustin Poirier, and Jorge Masvidal discussed the toll of their fighting careers in a candid conversation about injuries and surgeries. Weidman described having a titanium rod inserted in his leg after his notorious fracture and noted he also has metal in his hands, which hurts him when he punches. Poirier revealed he had a pin inserted after breaking his arm — recalling the painful extraction process — and disclosed that a cartilage septum from another person's rib was used in one of his two nasal surgeries, adding that he skipped a necessary third nose operation because doctors warned a subsequent break could cost him blood supply and ultimately his nose.
Chris Weidman, Dustin Poirier, and Jorge Masvidal sat down for a candid conversation about the physical price of long careers in professional mixed martial arts, sharing graphic details of surgeries and lasting damage their bodies have absorbed over the years.
Weidman, 42, holds a 16-8 professional record and built his career as one of the middleweight division's most decorated fighters under the Serra-Longo Fight Team banner. The six-foot-two New Yorker revealed that a titanium rod was inserted into his leg following his well-documented leg fracture, and disclosed that metal hardware in his hands causes him pain whenever he throws a punch — a sobering detail for a fighter who has averaged 3.11 significant strikes landed per minute across his career.
Poirier, 37, carries a 30-10 record and has long been one of the lightweight division's most active and durable competitors. The five-foot-nine southpaw from the United States, who trains out of American Top Team and lands strikes at a rate of 5.24 per minute with 50 percent accuracy, described breaking his arm and enduring the painful process of having a pin removed afterward. He also opened up about undergoing two nasal surgeries, one of which involved cartilage sourced from another person's rib. Doctors advised a third operation, but Poirier declined after being warned that another break following the procedure could sever his nose's blood supply entirely.
Masvidal, 41, rounds out the trio with a 35-17 record accumulated over a lengthy career also based out of American Top Team. The five-foot-eleven veteran joined the conversation to share his own experiences with the physical toll of fighting at the highest level.
Why it matters
- All three fighters represent a combined career total of more than 80 professional bouts, underscoring how cumulative damage compounds across long careers.
- The conversation highlights the often-unseen medical reality behind active fighters still competing or recently retired.
- Weidman's hand hardware and Poirier's unresolved nasal condition raise questions about the ongoing health management challenges facing veteran athletes.
