Anderson Silva, the longtime former UFC Middleweight champion, lost against current Middleweight champion Chris Weidman on Saturday night during UFC 168 via a horrific ankle injury. He appeared to fracture his shin in half, leading to a TKO loss.
Silva went in for a kick during the second round but then immediately collapsed on the ground in agony holding his leg.
Silva’s leg kick was checked by what appeared to be Weidman’s knee and the bone appeared to fracture in a horrific manner--his shin noticeably bent in half when it struck.
With the injury, Weidman retains the Middlewelt belt.
UFC commentator Joe Rogan speculated that the leg break would spell the end of Silva’s career as such injuries are notoriously difficult to come back from.
“Anderson is yelling at the top of his lungs on the stretcher backstage. I’ve never heard anything like that. A horrible sound,” tweeted Fox Sports MMA reporter Ariel Helwani. “I’m going to remember that Anderson scream forever. You try not to get emotional here but it was truly heart-breaking. A cruel end.”
In the first round, Silva was knocked down by a punch from Weidman before Weidman landed some punches and elbows while in Silva’s guard. Silva wasn’t able to get up to his feet for the remainder of the round. In round two, both fighters were still feeling each other out with feints and leg kicks before Silva suffered the gruesome leg injury
Silva, 38, had the longest UFC title reign in the organization’s history before he lost to Weidman earlier this year. He carried out 10 consecutive title defenses, and he won 16 consecutive times inside the octagon
In his victory speech, Weidman praised Silva’s title run and career.
“He’s still the greatest of all-time,” Weidman said, adding that he wishes Silva the best in his recovery.
Weidman (11-0) quietly celebrated his victory while medical personnel tended to Silva (33-6), whose left shin bent grotesquely while landing a kick on Weidman’s left leg 1:16 into the round.
Weidman, who earned his belt with an upset victory over the long-reigning champion in July, also dominated the first round of the rematch.
“I did work on checking kicks,” Weidman said. “I figured if I (caught) him on my knee, it could really hurt him. Crazy how this happened.”
Silva left the octagon with a brace on his leg. Weidman paid tribute to the injured ex-champion, calling him the greatest fighter in the sport’s history.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Several websites got different angles of the Silva injury (WARNING - VERY GRAPHIC)
A video of Silva being carted off can be seen here.
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