Earlier this week, former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman was forced to pull out of a scheduled title rematch against Luke Rockhold at UFC 199 on June 4 due to a neck injury.

Weidman, 31, released a lengthy statement on social media describing the injury and his potential next steps. According to sources close to the New York native, he is still seeking medical opinions.

In his post, Weidman said he experienced neck pain and "severe vertigo" last week. He was diagnosed with a "large extrusion herniation" by a spinal surgeon, who recommended surgery. At first, Weidman believed he could fight through the injury and continue to headline UFC 199, but after an epidural injection failed to relieve pain, he made the difficult decision to withdraw.

Weidman (13-1) said that maximum recovery time, depending on surgery, is 12 weeks, and he expects to be ready by UFC 205 on Nov. 12 at Madison Square Garden.

ESPN senior writer Stephania Bell, a certified orthopedic clinical specialist, offers her medical take on Weidman's injury and whether the Nov. 12 time frame is reasonable:

Bell's take: Here's what we know based on Weidman's report. He has a disc injury at C6-C7, which is compromising his C7 nerve root. Translation: That's the disc between the sixth and seventh cervical (neck) vertebrae -- if you were to count down from the base of the skull until you hit the sixth vertebra, the disc would be sitting between that one and the vertebra below it. There are seven cervical vertebrae. So this is considered an injury to the lower neck.

The disc has two main functions -- mobility and stability. Without the discs, the spine would be like a stack of blocks, very rigid and not flexible to curve and bend. The presence of the disc allows for motion of the vertebral segments, but the disc also helps absorb load, sharing some of the weight bearing with the bony structure of the vertebrae. Damage to a disc makes it not only painful but also less able to carry out its mobility/stability role.

ESPN senior writer and certified orthopedic clinical specialist Stephania Bell offers her opinion on Weidman's neck injury. Kaley Greer/ESPN Images

Then there are the nerve roots, which come off the spinal cord; a single nerve root exits on either side of each vertebra. Nerve roots go on to become webs of nerves after they exit the spine and are then responsible for sensation and motor/muscular control. We know which nerve is affected based on how it manifests in terms of patient symptoms. Weidman said the injury to the affected nerve "shut down the triceps and forearm," which fits with a C7 nerve root problem. If there is a disc herniation, it will likely affect the nerve root, meaning pain and/or numbness, tingling and/or weakness. The pain may be annoying to the athlete, but progressive weakness is the bigger medical concern.

There are a number of concerns being evaluated by the medical professionals looking at Weidman's situation, and we are not privy to those -- including his full clinical exam and imaging studies -- so we're limited in truly being able to assess his condition. But speaking in generalities, here are some thoughts: Barring a medical emergency (spinal cord being involved), surgery is not the usual first step.

In many cases, symptoms resolve on their own, but it can take time. Pain management and physical therapy are less invasive first options, but in the case of persisting and progressing symptoms, surgery may become necessary. I include this as a means of explaining why Weidman hasn't been rushed off to surgery yet.

The most common surgical option we see in cases of cervical disc herniation is an ACDF (anterior cervical discectomy and fusion). This is what NFL quarterback Peyton Manning had. If Weidman were to undergo a fusion, the procedure would involve removal of the compromised disc and the fusion of the two vertebrae with some bone graft material in between to maintain the normal disc height and to help with healing. A metal plate and screws are placed over the bone to help stabilize the segment and facilitate the healing process.

The sacrifice is mobility. Once the segment is fused, there is no motion available between those two vertebrae. As Weidman points out, the good thing is that it's the lower neck, so he would keep the majority of his neck range of motion (turning side-to-side, etc.)

As for comparisons with other athletes? I don't have any for MMA. It doesn't mean they don't exist, but I am not aware of any. (Note: Tito Ortiz has had several reported spinal fusions, including a C6-C7 in 2010.) There are comparisons with wrestlers and football players.

Weidman expects to return to the Octagon by November, when the UFC makes its long-awaited return to his home state of New York at UFC 205. Ed Mulholland for ESPN

Dr. Joe Maroon, neurosurgeon for the Pittsburgh Steelers, has performed this procedure on a number of athletes and published his results on a case series that included eight NFL players and five WWE wrestlers. Each athlete recovered to the point of being able to return to the sport. Recovery time ranged from nine weeks to 12 months. All athletes were cleared to play, but two opted to retire.

What you can say about returning to sport after the surgery -- if that becomes Weidman's situation -- is contingent first and foremost on the healing of the fusion graft. Consider that Manning had surgery in September, and in December he was cleared to return to activity after the fusion was declared stable. The surgeons would have to be comfortable that sufficient bone healing had taken place so the athlete would not be at risk of disrupting the fusion via exposure to extreme exertion or contact.

Besides the bone healing, there is the element of restoring normal strength and function -- not only general physical conditioning but also specific to the area that was affected by the disc injury. Manning is a good example again; we know how long it took for him to regain sufficient strength in his arm to return to throwing. Weidman's demands are different, but there is no doubt he needs to have full strength in his triceps and forearm to resume fighting. That process can take months -- even up to a year-plus -- but it depends on a multitude of things, including how compromised he was pre-surgery.