The career of the greatest MMA fighter ever is likely over after one of the most gruesome scenes in UFC history.
Anderson Silva broke his left leg during the second round of a middleweight title fight with Long Island’s Chris Weidman on Saturday night at UFC 168 in Las Vegas. Silva went for a left kick to Weidman’s legs and Weidman blocked with his knee. Silva’s leg — visibly and shockingly — snapped on impact.
Referee Herb Dean immediately stopped the fight as Silva crumpled to the mat, screaming in pain. Weidman, the champion, was awarded the TKO victory.
“No matter what happened in this fight, before this fight and the results now, [Silva is] still known as the greatest of all time,” Weidman said afterward.
Weidman, 29, ended Silva’s seven-year reign atop the UFC’s middleweight division by knocking him out in the second round at UFC 162 in July. Before that, Silva had won a record 16 straight fights, including 10 title defenses.
In the July fight, one of the things Silva did successfully was kick Weidman’s legs. That was something Weidman, a Baldwin native, worked on in training camp.
“If he’s going to go that hard, if I catch it on my knee, it could hurt him,” Weidman said. “It’s still crazy that happened.”
And ugly. The only other time a fight ended that way in UFC history was in December 2008 when Corey Hart’s leg kick was checked by Dale Hart.
The horrific end marred the UFC’s biggest show of the year. In the co-main event, women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey defeated rival Miesha Tate by armbar in the third round. Rousey has won all eight of her career fights by armbar, though this was the first to go past the first round.