Dr. Steve Mora, a renowned orthopedic surgeon, believes there is a very good chance Anderson Silva recovers from the gruesome leg injury he sustained at UFC 168 and returns to fighting, if he wishes.
It was reported on Sunday in an official statement from Zuffa that Silva suffered a broken tibia and fibula in his middleweight championship bout with Chris Weidman on Saturday night. The lower part of Silva’s left leg suffered an immediate break when his shin collided with Weidman’s knee during an attempted leg kick.
A complete medical analysis and X-ray examples are provided in Dr. Mora’s interview with BloodyElbow.com to explain the prognosis of Silva’s injury.
MMA fans and fighters alike have already jumped to the conclusion that this is the last we’ll ever see of Silva in the Octagon.
At 38 years old, it’s highly improbable to expect him to fully recover from such a devastating injury and get back to competing against the best fighters in the world.
Dr. Mora has seen his share of disturbing injuries over the years, and while he admits Silva’s was “pretty grotesque,” he doesn’t believe it’s career-ending. If Silva remains patient and strictly adheres to the rehabilitation process, Dr. Mora sees no physical reason stopping him from continuing his fighting career:
How long is it going to take to heal? The injury could take 3-6 months to heal, and then to be recovered enough to get back to fighting, it could take a year, not because of age, but because of the nature of the fracture. They tend to be stubborn to heal in everybody. I think there’s a very good chance that he heals and recovers sufficiently to get back to his fighting career. That’s obviously if he wants to.
During a pre-fight interview with MMAFighting’s Ariel Helwani, Silva said that there was a “good chance” he would stop fighting after the rematch with Weidman.
One would have to seriously question any possible motivation for coming back at this point, outside of a longshot hope of a third fight with Weidman. As the longest reigning champ in UFC history, there really isn’t anything left for Silva to accomplish.
Fighting isn’t an easy way to make a living. Thousands of young fighters dream of one day being in the position of Anderson Silva, who is financially stable with the option of never working another day in his life.
Perhaps this injury is a sign for “The Spider” to walk away and close the chapter on a legacy that will be revered for generations to come.
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