Weidman 'on a mission' to earn title shot vs. Adesanya

Former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman hopes his August comeback fight opens up a path back to the title.

Weidman, set to return from the gruesome broken leg he suffered in 2021 when he faces Brad Tavares at UFC 292 on Aug. 19 in Boston, said Tuesday he plans to compete several more times and work his way up to a title shot against Israel Adesanya.

"The goal for me, making this comeback after everything I've been through, is not just for this one fight and to be done," Weidman said on his "Won't Back Down" podcast on SiriusXM. "I got some big things on the horizon in my mind."

Weidman said he wants to put on a "great performance, (a) complete dominating performance" against Tavares. He added that he's looking to fight again in November at an event that's rumored to be held at Madison Square Garden in New York.

"And just climb up the rankings, earn my way back to a title fight," Weidman said. "I love the champion, Israel Adesanya. I love that matchup. ... I am on a mission to make that happen. It's not going to come easy, but I'm excited for all the hard work and the discipline and everything it's going to take to get there. And I know I have the tools, and I have everything it takes to do it."

The 38-year-old is 2-5 since losing the middleweight belt to Luke Rockhold in 2015. He was coming off a win over Omari Akhmedov when he injured his leg against Uriah Hall in April 2021.