Chris Weidman really thought his career was over.

When the former middleweight champion announced his retirement during the weigh-in show leading into UFC 311 in January, Weidman was serious about hanging up his gloves and walking away from the sport. It wasn’t necessarily the sequence of events that he wanted to close out his career but the 40-year-old veteran felt like that really was the best thing for him at the time he made the decision.

“After my fight with [Eryk] Anders, that fight for me was just awful in my mind,” Weidman explained when speaking to MMA Fighting. “I just was like what am I doing? What’s the point now? So I was thinking maybe I would just do one [more fight] and put the gloves down. I didn’t feel great in that fight. I wasn’t performing well. So that’s kind of where I was at. Do one [more] and put the gloves down.

“The UFC was kind of fighting me on it. I don’t think they really wanted me to do that. I’m like all right. They were cool if I left and did my own thing. That’s kind of how it happened.”

While it wasn’t necessarily the exit he had imagined, Weidman understood why the UFC almost seemed against him returning for one more fight after his lackluster outing against Eryk Anders this past December.

That fight ended with a second-round knockout after Anders bludgeoned Weidman with a series of punches on the ground that left the referee no choice but to stop the fight. It was a bad night at the office for Weidman and as much as he wanted the chance to run it back one last time, he also understood why the UFC was against the idea.

“Really, when I talked to my wife and stuff right afterwards I’m like I think I’m done,” Weidman said. “I’ll just retire and then I was like maybe I’ll just do one more. By then the UFC was like maybe you should just be done. All right, maybe you’re right.

“Their point was you do one more fight here, you’re on the prelims, you win, you’re going to still want to fight more. You’re never going to be truly happy with your last fight. They’re making more room for these young up and comers. So I got it. The UFC for me at my age, where I’m at, it’s not the best position for me.”

Ultimately, the UFC gave Weidman time on the weigh-in show to announce his retirement and he was able to reflect on his career during a lengthy segment that hasn’t really been afforded to anyone else.

It wasn’t necessarily the image he had in his mind for his final appearance in the UFC but Weidman also understood the promotion’s hesitancy to put him back into the cage for another fight given his most recent performance.

Truth be told, Weidman ultimately understood the UFC’s position when it came to his career coming to a close but he admits looking back now that there was one truly disappointing moment that got under his skin.

“The one [moment] that did bother me, which I [made] them aware of and then they gave their reasons why and I understand,” Weidman revealed. “I’m pretty logical and I can see things from both sides pretty good and I can take my ego out of it. But it was UFC 309 was the one where I was supposed to be on the main card, they promoted it the whole time I was going to open up the card. I was super excited about that in New York. The week before the fight, they took me off the main card and put me on the prelims. I was like what the hell?

“I was super excited to be on the main card to open it up. But they had their reasons. In my mind the fight would be completely different if I was in a different slot but that’s not realistic. Who knows. It wasn’t a good fight for me. It wasn’t a great fight I think even to watch. They made the right decision. That was the only time I was bothered because the whole time you’re expecting to open up the pay-per-view in New York City, Madison Square Garden. So that got me excited and then when they changed it, it bothered me.”

Weidman didn’t end up performing on that card after Anders fell ill with food poisoning so the matchup was pushed back a few weeks to UFC 310 instead.

Suffering the loss — his third in four fights — left Weidman in a tough position, which is why he made the decision to retire. Even then, Weidman acknowledged there were probably still options available for him out there, perhaps crossing over into boxing as so many former UFC fighters had done before, but he really believed he had already fought for the last time in MMA.

Then just four days later, Weidman was announced as part of the inaugural draft class for the Global Fight League — an upstart promotion featuring numerous ex-UFC champions in a team-based format with the first event expected to launch in April.

“The whole thing was a surprise to me,” Weidman said. “I retired, I did the weigh-in show thing. I said I was going to leave my opportunities open, [leave] my door open and see what opportunities come. I didn’t think MMA really was going to be interesting because I didn’t think the money would be there.

“I heard the GFL money kind of dried up. They already had all their people, already in contract with tons of guys. I knew another guy who was a big name who was trying to go to the GFL and they weren’t interested. So me and my manager both thought that it wasn’t an option. At the time, I thought I was probably done. Next thing I know, things just started moving. Now I’m in the GFL.”

Weidman says he got word from the GFL that the organization was interested in signing him but even then his initial reaction wasn’t just signing with them immediately.

“My manager was trying to talk to me about it on Monday and Tuesday and I’m like I don’t even want to make decisions and lock up into something,” Weidman explained. “The money was really good and they sent me the first contract on Thursday.

“So the day before the draft that they had. I signed later that night on Thursday after my manager went through it and everything. So it happened real fast. It’s kind of a shocker for me, too.”

As far as the UFC’s reaction to Weidman retiring and then signing with the GFL just a few days later?

“They had brought it up to me,” Weidman revealed. “Like ‘listen if you can go somewhere else and make some money doing MMA or boxing, more power to you.’ It wasn’t like they were going to be in shock over it.

“There was no real discussions. Before I closed the door with them, they were completely understanding whatever I decide to do, they’re going to be supportive of.”