In a truly graphic and gruesome scene, Anderson Silva broke his leg when he had one of his kicks checked by Chris Weidman in the main event of UFC 168 last night (Sat., Dec. 28, 2013) at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
It was ugly and awful and really hard to watch. You can see how it went down with a visual breakdown in photos by clicking here. You have been warned.
Bad technique may be to blame, but what's done is done and now it's time to look ahead. The first thought was this was surely a career-ending injury but the outlook may not be so grim after all. In a statement released by UFC, it's beena revealed that the emergency surgery to repair the damage was a success and Silva's estimated recovery time is shorter than you might think:
"Following Saturday evening's UFC 168 main event, former champion Anderson Silva was taken to a local Las Vegas hospital where he underwent surgery to repair a broken left leg. The successful surgery, performed by Dr. Steven Sanders, the UFC's orthopedic surgeon, inserted an intramedullary rod into Anderson's left tibia. The broken fibula was stabilized and does not require a separate surgery. Anderson will remain in the hospital for a short while, but no additional surgery is scheduled at this time. Recovery time for such injuries may vary between three and six months. Anderson is deeply touched by the outpouring of support from his fans and the entire MMA community. There has been no immediate decision about his future, and he would kindly ask for privacy at this time as he deals with his injury and prepares to return home to recover."
At 38-years-old and with absolutely nothing left to prove in his mixed martial arts career, this could still mean the end for "The Spider", even if it only takes him three-to-six months to recover. UFC President Dana White isn't counting him out just yet but he's not counting him in, either.
As White so often says, we'll see.
For everything you need to know on "Weidman vs. Silva 2" click here, and for complete UFC 168 results and blow-by-blow coverage of all the night's action click here.