One of MMA’s all-time greats suffered another serious injury when Anderson Silva was stopped by a vicious leg kick from Jared Cannonier (watch it) in the co-main event of last night’s (Sat., May 11, 2019) UFC 237 from Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The result was met with the collective cringing of the MMA world. Many already felt the 44-year-old ‘Spider’ had no reason to fight. But it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Silva fight on nonetheless. He and his team have hinted they wanted to extend his UFC contract. That was before the injury, of course, and things could be different now.
We don’t know if that is the case or not, however. Silva and his team don’t fully know the extent of his injury. Ariel Helwani reported that Silva did not go to the hospital after the fight due to hospitals in Rio being packed on Sundays. He will get an MRI on his right knee Monday. It also sounded like it was an existing injury that affected Silva during training camp:
“Per his team, and as reported yesterday by @guicruzzz, Anderson Silva opted against going to the hospital yesterday. Apparently hospitals in Rio on Saturday are very packed. He will get an MRI on Monday. I was told his knee popped in and out a couple times during camp.”
Another Leg Injury
Silva infamously lost his second title bout against Chris Weidman due to a broken left leg. This injury was to his right leg, however, causing concern for ‘The Spider’s’ fighting future.
He truly has nothing to prove, and many are claiming he’s simply damaging his legacy by continuing on. The fight against rising middleweight powerhouse Cannonier did little than provide him an opportunity to fight in Rio one last time. There was no backstory, and ‘The Killa Gorilla’ had nothing to lose. After ‘The Spider’ fought current interim champion Israel Adesanya to a decision in his last fight, the UFC could have given him at least a more high-profile match-up.
Maybe an easier one too. But that’s not Silva’s style, and his career could be in jeopardy as a result. He’s lost six out of his past eight fights.
Just don’t be surprised to see him come back.
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