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Sometimes, UFC fights end due to freak injuries. They could be deliberately caused by a fighter's opponent or merely be the result of a random occurrence inside the octagon. Some of the most gruesome injuries involve a fighter's legs, whether it's the knee or another part of the limb.
A wide variety of variables can lead to crippling leg injuries. A leg lock at the end of a round can lead to a compromised leg once the fight resumes. In other cases, a fighter throwing hard low kicks with no setup can lead to shin breaks due to checked kicks. This has happened thrice in the UFC.
In some cases, however, it is unexplainable. Fighters suffer injuries with no obvious cause even after numerous replays. Regardless of the cause, the result is the same: a leg injury. This list looks at five different times when UFC fights ended due to leg injuries.
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#5. Tom Aspinall, UFC Fight Night 208
Other than former interim heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane, Tom Aspinall is one of the few prospects at 265 lbs that fans and analysts alike believe is capable of earning a crack at the divisional throne. The Englishman possesses a breadth of skills in boxing, wrestling, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
Furthermore, his speed advantage over other heavyweights is absurd. In his most recent appearance in the cage, he locked horns with Curtis Blaydes in what was originally scheduled to be a title eliminator. Within 15 seconds of the bout starting, Aspinall threw a hard low kick.
A half-second afterward, he collapsed to the mat, clutching his knee in agony. Fans and commentators were confused over what had taken place. He was clearly injured, but the exact cause remained unknown. Regardless, he suffered a torn MCL, a torn meniscus, and a damaged ACL that canceled the bout.
#4. Corey Hill vs. Dale Hartt, UFC Fight Night 16
The preliminary card for UFC Fight Night 16 is infamous for a gruesome injury. Corey Hill and Dale Hartt squared off in the second bout of the evening. The late middleweight made extensive use of low kicks during the bout. Unfortunately, hard low kicks come with certain consequences.
If fighters don't throw combinations to cause opponents to move backwards, they run the risk of their low kicks being checked. This is since raising one's leg to check kicks is nearly impossible while moving backwards. This was an element of low-kicking that Corey Hill disregarded.
In the opening seconds of the second round, he threw a hard low kick that his foe checked, causing his shin to snap in half. The sight of his leg hanging like a noodle prompted UFC commentator Joe Rogan to scream for the referee to stop the fight, which he mercifully did.
#3. Chris Weidman vs. Uriah Hall 2, UFC 261
At UFC 261, Chris Weidman and Uriah Hall squared off for the second time in their careers. The pair first clashed years ago during the early days of their MMA careers. Their first encounter ended with a win for the All-American wrestler. Their rematch, however, took a different turn.
The former middleweight champion is best known for snapping Anderson Silva's unbeaten UFC streak—and the Brazilian's leg in a rematch. While he is responsible for two of the most shocking moments in the promotion's history, no one could have predicted that he'd be a part of another.
Seventeen seconds into his rematch with 'Prime Time', Weidman threw a hard low kick. Hall half-checked it and the rest is history. Weidman's shin snapped in half and he stepped backward before collapsing in excruciating pain.
#2. Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier 3, UFC 264
The leadup to Conor McGregor's trilogy bout with Dustin Poirier was rife with promises that the Irishman made. He swore that his nemesis would leave the octagon on a stretcher. In a karmic twist, it was 'The Notorious' who ended up being carried out of the cage on a stretcher.
During a kickboxing exchange in the first round, the former double champion threw a kick that caused his shin to clash with 'The Diamond's' elbow. This caused a micro-fracture of sorts that left the Irishman predisposed to a shin break. Later in the round, he threw another kick.
This time, the lower, thinner part of his shin crashed into the thickest part of Poirier's thigh close to his hip bone. Whether McGregor's kick landed on the hip bone remains unknown, but after retracting his leg, his shin snapped and the fight was called off.
#1. Anderson Silva vs. Chris Weidman 2, UFC 168
After Anderson Silva and Chris Weidman first crossed swords, the All-American wrestler mentioned that some of 'The Spider's' best weapons from their initial clash were his low kicks. Thus, he was prepared to defend himself from the Brazilian's powerful kicks in their rematch.
In the second round of their rematch, Weidman showcased his defense against low kicks by checking them. However, he didn't merely raise his leg to block the kick. He made sure to block low kicks by raising his leg and turning his shin outward so its thicker, lower part blocked the thinner, lower part of Silva's leg.
The result was a gruesome leg break that shocked the entire MMA world. Silva's boneless leg became the most infamous image throughout the combat sports world in 2013 and he wouldn't make his octagon return until 2015.
