Anderson Silva underwent successful surgery after severely breaking his left leg in a loss to Chris Weidman in the main event at UFC 168.
Silva threw a kick that was checked by the knee of Weidman in the second round and it snapped upon impact.
The former middleweight champion, who is considered by most to be the greatest mixed martial artist of all-time, was taken to a local Las Vegas hospital immediately after the fight.
“The successful surgery, performed by Dr. Steven Sanders, the UFC’s Orthopedic Surgeon, inserted an intramedullary rod into Anderson’s left tibia,” an official UFC statement read. “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.”
The recovery time for an injury such as Silva’s can vary between three and six months though there is no specific timetable for a potential return.
At 38 years old, many feel the Brazilian has competed in the UFC for the last time.
“Anderson is deeply touched by the outpouring of support from his fans and the entire MMA community,” the statement read. “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.”
Silva is 33-6 in his MMA career (16-2 in the UFC) and holds the UFC record for most consecutive wins, title defences, plus most knockdowns and finishes among other milestones.
UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey reacts to seeing Silva’s leg break:
