Despite just one win in his seven most recent bouts — in a span of almost six years — former Middleweight champion and mixed martial arts (MMA) legend, Anderson Silva, was pressed back into action tonight (Sat., May 11, 2019) against No. 10-ranked Jared Cannonier in UFC 237’s pay-per-view (PPV) co-main event from inside Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Make that one out of eight, as Cannonier finished Silva with a brutal low kick in the first round that appeared to do major damage to the Brazilian’s knee.
The first 90 seconds of the match was essentially a game of cat and mouse, with both fighters trying to feel each other out. Silva scored first with a hard kick to the body, while Cannonier looked to herd him into a corner and trap him along the fence. Silva circled out, but then Cannonier was able to land several hard shots as he was trapped along the cage. Silva began to feel it toward the end of the round, doing his typical “Spider” show, but Cannonier countered with a hard inside leg kick that sent Silva crashing to the canvas in serious pain. Silva tried to defend himself momentarily, but referee Herb Dean rushed in to call off Cannonier before he could do anymore damage.
Silva — who shattered his shin in a fight against Chris Weidman several years ago — shrieked in pain after the fight. In fact, he could barely get on his stool so that he could be looked at by the ringside doctors. It looked like he did some serious damage to his knee … and the crowd was not happy about it, showering Cannonier with a chorus of loud boos.
It’s pretty clear that there’s really nothing left for Silva, 44, to accomplish at this point in his career. Getting old sucks … and Anderson Silva proved that once again tonight.
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