LAS VEGAS – Eryk Anders sees retirement on the horizon despite scoring what he described as the most significant victory of his career against Chris Weidman at UFC 310.
After getting knocked down in the first round, Anders (17-7 MMA, 9-8 UFC) came on strong against former middleweight champion Weidman (16-8 MMA, 12-8 UFC) in the second frame and countered a submission attempt with some big ground and pound for the TKO victory at T-Mobile Arena.
At 37 and with a UFC career that dates back to July 2017, Anders has lasted the better part of a decade on the roster. He admits the end is near, though, and revealed he has a timeline in mind.
“I’ve been doing this a while,” Anders told MMA Junkie and other reporters post-fight at UFC 310. “Mid-next year will be my eighth year in the UFC. I think the average career span here is like three fights or a year. So I’ve been here for seven-and-a-half year. Eighteen fights. I’ll get to 20, and peace out.”
Anders defeated a version of Weidman who is clearly at the tail end of his career. UFC CEO Dana White encouraged Weidman to retire in the aftermath of the event, but that doesn’t take anything away from the victory for Anders.
He said this result is one he will cherish long after his fighting days come to an end, because it’s the first former champion to land on his resume.
“To be honest I think I beat (Lyoto) Machida (in February 2018), but when you fight somebody in their home country, it’s just always tough to get those wins,” Anders said. “This is definitely the biggest win (of my career), the biggest name. When I tell my grandchildren about this I’m not going to say nothing about him being 40. I’m not going to say nothing about breaking his leg. I’m going to say, ‘This is a guy who beat one of the best fighters of all time (in Anderson Silva), and I went out there and finished him.’”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 310.
