#5: Anderson Silva’s leg turns into a flipper – UFC 168 – 12/28/13
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We end with one of the most replayed clips in UFC history, an injury so bad that it almost ended the career of one of the greatest fighters of all time.
Anderson Silva’s seven-year reign as UFC Middleweight champion had come to a violent end at the hands of Chris Weidman at UFC 162, but due to the way the fight ended – Silva had left himself open for the knockout by showboating – practically everyone was calling for an immediate rematch.
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UFC acquiesced and the fight was booked for the final show of 2013, UFC 168. It was expected that Silva would come in much more seriously than he had in the first fight. Weidman for his part, once again, remained stoic and confident.
Judging by the first round, if Silva was more serious this time, it did not seem to be helping him at all.
Looking to secure the same plum clinch he’d used to destroy Rich Franklin back in 2006, Silva left himself open to eat strikes and his chin just couldn’t seem to hold up to Weidman’s power. He’d been knocked down by a series of punches, and the rest of the round was spent with Weidman on top working ground-and-pound.
One in the books for the new champion.
In the first fight, the one tactic Silva had seen some success with was his leg kicks. He hadn’t used them a lot in the UFC but prior to his stint there, they were one of his primary weapons – witness him using them to chop down Lee Murray, for instance.
Weidman’s coaches were concerned about this, and in cerebral fashion, they’d had him drilling a technique that one of his coaches called ‘The Destruction’ – a “hard” check of the kick, basically lifting the leg lower than a fighter would in a “soft” check, causing the attacker’s shin to connect with the hardest part of the fighter’s shin bone, the part directly underneath the kneecap.
Early in the second round, Silva fired out a left leg kick, and Weidman lifted his leg into the “hard” check. A loud crack was heard and Silva stepped backwards....then fell down. His left leg was snapped completely, swinging around like it’d turned into a flipper.
The clip immediately went viral around the world as millions of people were horrified by the sight of the once-great champion crying in agony, the victim to perhaps the worst bone break in UFC history.
Some fans labelled the incident a fluke, but in reality, it was Weidman’s drilling of the check that caused it to happen more than anything else. It was, in essence, aggressive defence.
The injury would keep Silva out of action for over a year, and since returning he’s never looked the same. Granted, some of that is definitely to do with his advanced age, but you can’t help but wonder what such a nasty break must’ve done to his psyche.
Know of any more bad breaks, in or out of the UFC? Let me know!
Until next time.....
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