Anderson Silva, who is considered by many to be one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time, suffered a horrific broken leg during his fight against UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman in UFC 168′s main event last night.

Early in the second round, Silva broke his leg throwing a leg kick that was checked by Chris Weidman. Those watching live saw the shocking visuals of Anderson’s leg snapping on impact and the former champion dropping to the ground in severe pain.

It’s always a shame to see any fighter suffer a serious injury, especially one that could see the former middleweight champ out for a very long time. The 38-year-old Brazilian will have to think about what he wants to do next, he is in the final stages of his career, so an injury like this could be a major set back.

Zuffa, LLC, owner of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, released the following statement regarding Anderson Silva’s injury:

“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.”

We will have to wait and see what happens next with Silva as I suspect he will be out for a long time rehabilitating the injury. Hopefully he has a safe and speedy recovery.

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