Top 5 Stories of the Week

Sherdog.com StaffJan 03, 2014
Anderson Silva’s injury leaves his future in doubt. | Photo: Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com



No one wanted to see it end like this.

Anderson Silva’s bid to reclaim the Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight crown ended with a horrific leg injury, as Chris Weidman kept his hold on the 185-pound gold with a second-round technical knockout in the UFC 168 headliner on Dec. 28 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Silva, his leg apparently broken above the ankle when the champion checked his kick, collapsed to the mat 76 seconds into round two, his writhing in shock followed by cries of agony.

One can only surmise that this may have been the last time the man known as “The Spider” will compete inside the cage. Silva turns 39 in April.

Weidman nearly finished it in the first round, as he rocked Silva with a right hand in close quarters, trailed him to the canvas and battered him with punches and elbows. Silva weathered the attack, landed some effective shots from the bottom and pushed their rematch to a second round. There, a little more than a minute after the battle resumed, he uncorked the ill-fated kick. An audible snap brought an eerie silence to what had been a raucous crowd and perhaps marked the end of the line for arguably the greatest fighter in MMA history.

The stories of interest on Sherdog.com this week:

Bad Break

A Broken Champion

Exit Plan

Fight Pass

Calling it Quits


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