The main event of UFC 168 felt a bit anti-climatic when the bout came to a halt after Anderson Silva's shin snapped in half following a failed leg kick (see pic here) against Middleweight Champion Chris Weidman. Silva went down in a heap of agony and Weidman was announced the winner (watch full video highlights here).
The ending left a sour taste in many mouths because mixed martial arts (MMA) fans expected to either see a war between the two talented middleweights or a brilliant performance from either fighter. And because it ended with a fluke injury made many question Weidman's ability to defend and retain the 185-pound title.
The New York-native has been hearing those criticisms since winning the belt at UFC 162 against Silva. In their first bout, Weidman knocked out "The Spider" in the second round. It was a career defining moment; however, it was also one that had questions as Silva was playing his games and didn't really look like he was taking Weidman seriously.
With another bout ending in controversial fashion, Weidman's seeing the two biggest wins of his career voided in the minds of many combat sports fans. Weidman recently spoke with Lance Pugmire from the Los Angeles Times about the bout and his feelings on the ending.
His comments might surprise you:
"I don't like that his leg got broken. It's bittersweet on that, but I felt I was completely dominating the fight. If anything, him breaking his leg stopped me from putting on more of a show.... It's a tough injury to come back from. I honestly would feel bad to fight him again. I know he's going to be a little hesitant to kick me. He has to worry about getting knocked out. I've dropped him twice, knocked him out once. And I don't know if it'd even be a fair fight to take."
He's completely correct in his assessment of the fight. People are focusing entirely on the leg break instead of his performance in the first and second rounds. He chewed through Silva's Thai clinch and dropped him with punches. While the end was controversial, there's no question Weidman was bound to have a repeat performance.
"All American" faces Vitor Belfort next. Hopefully, the bout ends without any controversy.