Photos: Josh Hedges, Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Chris Weidman defends middleweight title as Anderson Silva suffers horrific leg break
It might have been the end of an era at UFC 168: Weidman vs. Silva 2, held at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, NV this past Saturday, December 28th.
The event features the UFC middleweight championship rematch between defending champ Chris Weidman and the former longtime reigning champ and MMA G.O.A.T. Anderson Silva in the main event of the evening. With Weidman knocking out Silva the first time around to win the belt, anticipation was high for this one as fans clamored to see whether it was indeed the dawn of a new era for the middleweight division or whether Anderson would take back the throne. Either way, fans expected an emphatic ending at UFC 168 but what they got certainly was not what they expected.
The first round unfolded true to form with Chris Weidman looking to time his shots while Anderson Silva sought to gain his footing and find the timing to counterstrike as he always has. Weidman won the round but neither fighter even got a chance to truly get comfortable before the unfortunate turn of events that saw Anderson suffer a complete fracture of his left leg, cutting the bout short and giving Chris Weidman the TKO victory.
As big of an anomaly as that was injury, Chris Weidman is now firmly established as middleweight champion while Silva’s future will now be in doubt as there were talks about his potential retirement even before this most recent catastrophe.
The UFC released the following statement after the bout:
“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.”
Ronda Rousey defends Women’s Bantamweight Belt; Earns victory against a game Miesha Tate
As for the co-main event of the evening between undisputed champion Ronda Rousey and second-time challenger Miesha Tate, well let’s just say it delivered from open-to-close and more so than most would have expected with Tate becoming the first opponent to take the former Olympian turned UFC champion to the second round.
The two had preempted this match with their recent coaching stint on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF). The reality show only proved that these two had a deep genuine dislike for one another and hence the whole world seemed to be tuning in to see how it culminated at UFC 168. Most prognosticators predicted yet another first round armbar from Ronda Rousey heading into this one but to her credit Miesha proved to be more than the pretty stand-in mainstream fans have grown to love. She actually gave Ronda her biggest challenge yet.
Yes she got thrown six ways from Sunday more times than most thanks to Rousey’s relentless judo but she also got a takedown of her own mixed in with some timely punches and upkicks to give Ronda her best championship test yet en route to the second round finish by…. you guessed it. Armbar.
Best of the rest at UFC 168; Young prospects working their way up
UFC 168 delivered some spectacular action, performances, and finishes befitting the UFC’s final PPV card of the year.
For starters, Travis Browne cemented himself as a heavyweight championship contender with his thrashing of former UFC champ Josh Barnett via first round knockout. Most saw “Hapa” Browne as an underdog headed into the bout with the all-time great but he showed to be yet another legit one to look out for as far as young stars looking to take that leap to the next level.
Speaking of fighters looking to take advance up the rankings Jim Miller and Dustin Poirier both made their own case with impressive finishes of Fabricio Camoes and Diego Brandao respectively to round out the main card. Meanwhile on the undercard Uriah Hall showed up and earned his best post-TUF win yet over the declining Chris Leben, who was forced to quit on his stool following a near knockout to end the first round of their bout.
Check out complete UFC 168 results now.
UFC 168 Results – Main Card (PPV)
- Chris Weidman def. Anderson Silva via TKO (injury) in the second round * TITLE
- Ronda Rousey def. Miesha Tate via submission (armbar) in the third round * TITLE
- Travis Browne def. Josh Barnett via KO in the first-round
- Jim Miller def. Fabricio Camoes via submission (armbar) in the first round.
- Dustin Poirier def. Diego Brandao via TKO in the first round
UFC 168 Results – Prelims (FOX Sports 1, Facebook)
- Uriah Hall def. Chris Leben via TKO in the first round.
- Michael Johnson def. Gleison Tibau via second-round TKO
- Dennis Siver def. Manvel Gamburyan via unanimous decision
- John Howard def. Siyar Bahadurzada via unanimous decision
- William Macario def. Bobby Voelker via unanimous decision
- Robbie Peralta def. Estevan Payan via KO in the third round
