Former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman is recovering from neck surgery, and will be using the time to reunite with former manager Ian Parker as a full-fledged partner to help develop the MMA-themed Cage Hero comic book franchise.

Once we came up with our mantra: ‘The hero comes from within,’ we were really looking for someone that was the whole package, said Parker, Cage Hero’s co-creator, to Matt Connolly for Forbes. Chris represents exactly the type of fighter we wanted for the brand.

Parker developed Cage Hero alongside Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles co-creator Kevin Eastman, and is backed by Surge,TMNT’s licensing/production team. 

BUY HERE – MMAWarehouse and Dynamite.

FOLLOWCage Hero on Facebook.

The four-issue limited series “Cage Hero” is available both digitally, in comic book stores, and online at MMAWarehouse and Dynamite. The heroes depicted in the series were developed by Cage Hero creator and MMA personality Ian Parker, working closely with “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” co-creator Kevin Eastman.

The series will follow middle school student Ryder Stone as he joins a team of mixed martial artists called the Cage Heroes and fights to stop the spread of the evil Shadow Empire. It’s an all-ages action-adventure series in the tradition of Teenage MutantNinja Turtles, Teen Titans, and Karate Kid — a youth-based Mixed Martial Arts property that inspires health, fitness, skill, and teamwork to become a real hero.

“It is time that this generation has its own group of heroes to look up to. We have created that,” explains Parker. “With the sport of MMA on the rise and superheroes as popular as ever, we have found a fun and inspiring way to combine the two.”

The series iswritten by Rik Hoskin (“Mercy Thompson”) and feature art by Renato Rei (“Critter”) and colors from Ross A. Campbell (“Skullkickers”).