AFTER HIS gruesome injury in the main event of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) 168 world middleweight championships last Sunday, Brazil’s Anderson “The Spider” Silva still managed to thank all of his fans and friends who have been very supportive.
In his official twitter account (spideranderson), the 38-year-old Silva said: “Thank you to all my fans and friends. I ‘will be better soon. Now I need to be with my family to recover better.”
Chris Weidman defended his UFC middleweight title when Silva apparently broke his left leg on a kick in the second round at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, USA.
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.
Silva’s nearly seven-year reign atop the middleweight division ended nearly six months ago when Weidman stopped the champion with a left hook at UFC 162.
This injury is considered one of the most gruesome in MMA history after Corey Hill’s in a 1997 fight.
Silva is now confined in a Las Vegas Hospital and already underwent surgery to repair his broken left leg.
The UFC estimated his recovery time to be as long as six months. /CORRESPONDENT DALE G. ROSAL WITH REPORTS FROM USATODAY.COM and AP