Anderson Silva suffered a devastating leg injury in UFC 168 main event on Saturday night in Las Vegas, Nev., and had a successful surgery right after the bout.
Zuffa, LLC released a statement following Silva’s surgery with Dr. Steven Sanders, the UFC’s orthopedic surgeon, and revealed that the former UFC middleweight champion broke his tibia and fibula in his left leg during his second-round loss to Chris Weidman.
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“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,” read the statement. “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.”
Silva hasn’t made a decision about his fighting future, if he will compete again or retire following back-to-back losses, and asked “for privacy at this time,” according to the UFC.
“Brasil, I’m sorry, I didn’t want to let you down,” Silva tweeted on Sunday morning. “I gave my best, I swear.”
With Anderson Silva out of the picture for at least six months, Chris Weidman is expected to put his middleweight title on the line against former champion Vitor Belfort.