Weidman breaks silence after leg injury: 'I can't believe it happened'

Chris Weidman publicly commented on his broken leg for the first time Monday morning, less than two days after suffering the gruesome injury at UFC 261.

"Honestly, as soon as it happened, I hit the floor, I saw what happened to my leg, and the pain started hitting me, I was just trying to put my mind on something positive that's going to come out of this," Weidman said from his hospital bed in an Instagram video.

"I'm hopeful that something is going to come out of it. ... This is not fun. I can't believe it happened."

The former middleweight champion's leg snapped when he landed a leg kick 17 seconds into his main-card bout against Uriah Hall. Weidman was stretchered out of the Octagon and sent to a hospital in Jacksonville, Florida, before undergoing surgery Sunday.

Weidman thanked his family, friends, and fans for the support, and he also noted the sentiments he received from Hall and former opponent Anderson Silva, who suffered a similar leg break in 2013.

"I know Uriah Hall was super classy and upset this happened to me, and I really appreciate that," Weidman said. "I know Anderson Silva came out and said some really nice things."

Weidman said he broke his tibia and fibula and was still in a lot of pain as of the time of the video. The 36-year-old offered a closer look at what the procedure entailed.

"They put a titanium rod through the tibia," Weidman said. "They go through the knee, and they take a rod, and they drill it through the tibia to make it straight and hard. ... When they put the tibia back together and my leg was straight, the fibula kind of matched back up to where it was broken. And they feel like that can heal on its own as long as I'm not putting weight on it and stuff."

Weidman said he'll be able to walk without crutches in about eight weeks, adding he was told he would be able to return to training in six to 12 months.

"It's pretty brutal, but I'm going to get through this," Weidman said.