Tag: UFC 168

Anderson Silva Appears on Video for the 1st Time Post UFC 168 Leg Break

Anderson Silva’s recovery from the leg break he suffered at UFC 168 is going to be a lengthy process, but it seems the former champion’s spirit and smile are still in order.
Earlier this week, Dr. Steven Sanders, who performed the surgery, said a pre-o…

Anderson Silva‘s recovery from the leg break he suffered at UFC 168 is going to be a lengthy process, but it seems the former champion’s spirit and smile are still in order.

Earlier this week, Dr. Steven Sanders, who performed the surgery, said a pre-operation Silva was asking when he could get back to train and then set a loose timeline of six to nine months before the pound-for-pound great could get back into the gym. Where that news provided some insight into what the road ahead will look like for the former middleweight king, there was not much detail the surgeon could provide into the fighter’s demeanor.

On Thursday, a video posted by Zombie Prophet on YouTube showed the Brazilian Muay Thai machine not only up on crutches less than a week from surgery but smiling in the company of his friends and family. That’s a great sign for an athlete that suffered a devastating injury six days prior, and it shows the 38-year-old appears to be keeping things in a positive realm.

While there is no way to tell at this point if Silva will ever compete inside the Octagon again, Dr. Sanders did tell the media that a person’s attitude is a huge element to their recovery. In addition to being one of the most prolific finishers in UFC history, the fighter regarded as the “greatest of all time” is also known for his light-hearted sense of humor. 

Those elements will certainly factor into his recovery from the violent leg break he suffered in his rematch against Chris Weidman at UFC 168—where in the second round a checked leg kick from the champion resulted in Silva snapping his tibia and fibula bones. He was operated on a short time later, and the surgery consisted of a titanium rod being inserted in his left leg.

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Should Rousey Regret Not at Least Giving Tate a Fist Bump After Fight?

As much as it pains many a sophisticate to admit, perhaps fighting does solve things after all.
As per Bryan Alvarez and David Meltzer (www.wrestlingobserver.com) via Wrestling Observer Radio, since Ronda Rousey defeated Miesha Tate in their rematch at…

As much as it pains many a sophisticate to admit, perhaps fighting does solve things after all.

As per Bryan Alvarez and David Meltzer (www.wrestlingobserver.com) via Wrestling Observer Radio, since Ronda Rousey defeated Miesha Tate in their rematch at UFC 168, it seems Rousey regrets not accepting the olive branch offered by Tate.

The bad blood between Rousey and Tate was brought to a boil thanks to their roles as opposing coaches on last season of The Ultimate Fighter. Both women were passionate in their roles as coaches, but their rivalry seemed to overshadow the show.

While Rousey was busy dealing with the fury that comes to losing to a rival as a coach, Tate basically got the role of white hat by default. Rousey was so brazen and transparent in her anger and competitive nature that Tate could not help by look good by comparison.

All she had to do is avoid cursing, keep on smiling and offer at least some kind of mature countenance, and Rousey did the rest for her. In truth, Rousey is the best PR agent Tate could have ever hoped for.

And the coup de grace, which Rousey administered to herself after defeating Tate, was refusing to shake Tate’s hand or bump fists or whatever Tate was offering as a reconciliatory measure.

But now that some days have passed, it is possible Rousey has cooled down just a little bit on the topic of Tate. According to the broadcast (near the 55th minute of the show), Rousey voiced regret for not at least giving Tate a fist bump after their fight. It was mentioned that Rousey felt this way because if she had been more cordial after the fight, perhaps she wouldn’t have been booed like she was.

It was also said that Rousey did actually want to congratulate Tate on a good fight. Of course, as we have not heard this directly from Rousey and given the secondhand nature of what was being said on the broadcast, this may be nothing more than hearsay.

But should she honestly regret her actions?

No one could doubt the friction between Rousey and Tate was genuine, and in truth, for a sport “as real as it gets,” unless there were honest feelings or respectful appreciation for Tate’s efforts, Rousey should not pretend. It would look as if Rousey was faking it in order to disarm a bomb that already went off, week after week, on The Ultimate Fighter.

Obviously, I am not saying that I don’t believe fighters should be respectful to each other after a bout, no matter how much bad blood was invested beforehand. But I do not think it’s something that can (or should) be faked; imagine how cheap and petty it would have looked had Don Frye and Ken Shamrock felt forced into some kind of cheap reconciliation after their brutal fight.

It almost seems ironic now when you consider that Rousey, while being surprised, was honestly cordial to Tate when she walked into the TUF gym as a replacement to Cat Zingano. She smiled and even offered her hand before she was aware that Tate was going to be on the show as the opposing coach.

Now, the show is over, the fight is in the books and Rousey has the satisfaction of defeating Tate twice. Perhaps she does have some regrets and perhaps not, but either way, at least her feelings come from a very real place.

And if their two fights have not given them some acceptance for their feelings, then the only thing left that can is time.

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Friday Link Dump: GSP’s Belt Allegedly Stolen, Complete List of 2013 UFC Injuries, Russian Dash Cam Car Chase + More

(Anderson Silva, on crutches, just takin’ it one day at a time. / Props: ZombieProphet)

UFC 168 Garners Huge Interest, But Nothing on the Horizon Can Match It (MMAFighting)

Georges St-Pierre Said Belt Was Taken After UFC 167 Bout with Johny Hendricks (BleacherReport)

Year in UFC Injuries: Full List of All Injured UFC Fighters in 2013 (MMAMania)

The Best MMA Writing of 2013: Brian D’Souza on the Failure of the MMA Media (BloodyElbow)

A ‘Realist’ About His Own Career, Retired UFC Fighter Jorge Rivera Turns Focus to Others (MMAJunkie)

10 Worst Sports Plays of the Year for 2013 (EveryJoe)

Check Out The Latest Insanely Bad Ass Russian Dash Cam Car Chase (UPROXX)

The 15 Best Nutella Recipes Ever (HiConsumption)

The Most Anticipated Car Debuts of 2014 (Complex)

Norm MacDonald Is a Terrible Spokesman (Break)

14 Foods to Kick Out of Your Kitchen Forever (MensFitness)

Living the Pirate Life in Assassin’s Creed IV (The Escapist)

Celebrity Race Reversals (WorldWideInterweb)


(Anderson Silva, on crutches, just takin’ it one day at a time. / Props: ZombieProphet)

UFC 168 Garners Huge Interest, But Nothing on the Horizon Can Match It (MMAFighting)

Georges St-Pierre Said Belt Was Taken After UFC 167 Bout with Johny Hendricks (BleacherReport)

Year in UFC Injuries: Full List of All Injured UFC Fighters in 2013 (MMAMania)

The Best MMA Writing of 2013: Brian D’Souza on the Failure of the MMA Media (BloodyElbow)

A ‘Realist’ About His Own Career, Retired UFC Fighter Jorge Rivera Turns Focus to Others (MMAJunkie)

10 Worst Sports Plays of the Year for 2013 (EveryJoe)

Check Out The Latest Insanely Bad Ass Russian Dash Cam Car Chase (UPROXX)

The 15 Best Nutella Recipes Ever (HiConsumption)

The Most Anticipated Car Debuts of 2014 (Complex)

Norm MacDonald Is a Terrible Spokesman (Break)

14 Foods to Kick Out of Your Kitchen Forever (MensFitness)

Living the Pirate Life in Assassin’s Creed IV (The Escapist)

Celebrity Race Reversals (WorldWideInterweb)

Anderson Silva Tweets out Encouraging Photo and Message to Fans

Not even a week removed from suffering one of the most gruesome and unfathomable Octagon injuries of all time, former pound-for-pound legend Anderson Silva seems to be in high spirits.
After breaking his leg on a checked kick in the second round of his…

Not even a week removed from suffering one of the most gruesome and unfathomable Octagon injuries of all time, former pound-for-pound legend Anderson Silva seems to be in high spirits.

After breaking his leg on a checked kick in the second round of his infamous and well-documented rematch opposite champion Chris Weidman at UFC 168, fans everywhere wondered how “The Spider” would react to such strategy.

Well, in this recent Twitter post, the best mixed martial artist in the history of the sport seemed ready to start his new journey:

Whether or not the 38-year-old Brazilian makes the six-to-nine month recovery without any hiccups is totally up to him. In the past, fighters have made a return to the Octagon after suffering such injuries, but nobody really knows for sure because every body is different in that regard. 

Considering how prolific his legacy remains and how much of a competitor Silva is, if his leg heals properly within a year, doesn’t it make sense for him to give it one last go?

On the heels of losing two straight UFC title fights, after racking up 16 straight wins over six years, Silva has to want to avenge his misfortunes. He has to want to fight one last time inside the cage.

Whether the timing is right and Weidman is open to fulfilling a trilogy is completely reliant on the middleweight division. So many new contenders have emerged and are praying for their own shot at the champ.

However, as one of the greatest pay-per-view draws in UFC history, the promotion will have to favor a high-profile Silva fight if the icon returns. They’d have to want a final fight with Weidman—one that doesn’t end by flash knockout or a fractured limb.

With all of that said, this is assuming Silva actually wants to come back. He may want to stay home with his family, grow his gym in California, marvel at his bank account and walk away forever.

He could do that and nobody would look twice. However, for some reason, I have a feeling we haven’t seen the last of the up-kicking, head-bobbing, Matrix-looking phenom that took the UFC by storm for nearly a decade.

 

For more UFC news and coverage,

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MMA: The Top 5 Events of 2013

It’s no secret by now that plenty of people are considering 2013 to be a banner year for MMA.
In the cage, that’s definitely true.
The sport has seen a changing of the guard in losing Georges St-Pierre and likely Anderson Silva, but there’s no question…

It’s no secret by now that plenty of people are considering 2013 to be a banner year for MMA.

In the cage, that’s definitely true.

The sport has seen a changing of the guard in losing Georges St-Pierre and likely Anderson Silva, but there’s no question that plenty of great athletes are coming up to take their place.

As those individuals make their way up the ranks, some remarkable fights will take place.

A few such fights occurred in 2013, and helped to create some absolutely spectacular events.

These are the top five.

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Report: Anderson Silva’s Son Wants His Dad to Retire

While longtime UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva could be on the shelf for the better part of next year as his broken left leg heals, his 15-year-old son believes the time has come for his dad to call it a career. 
Speaking with Brazilian m…

While longtime UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva could be on the shelf for the better part of next year as his broken left leg heals, his 15-year-old son believes the time has come for his dad to call it a career. 

Speaking with Brazilian media outlet R7 (translation per MMA Fighting), Kalyl Silva gave praise to current champion Chris Weidman, the only man to defeat “The Spider” twice, and explained that he’d like to spend more time with his dad at this point in their lives.

All respect for Chris to go out there and fight like a champion. Congratulations, Chris. It’s your turn to be a legend. All the enemies are celebrating Silva and do not come to see me, is not my fault. But I want to see you do what he does. I hope he retires and go home because I’m tired of watching my father train every day, be gone for two or three months … and a broken leg happens … And as always you are my champion father. And once again, good job Chris.

Yesterday, the orthopedic surgeon who repaired Silva broken left tibia and fibula, Dr. Steven Sanders, revealed during a press conference that the legendary Brazilian competitor could return to training in six to nine months, per MMA Fighting.  

Sanders also indicated that the 38-year-old knockout specialist, who boasts a 16-2 record inside the Octagon, was eager to learn when he could return to training. 

With that in mind, a recent tweet reveals that Silva is looking forward to resting up and healing with his family. 

Silva currently holds the UFC record for most consecutive title defenses (10) as well as the longest active win streak (16) in a dominant run that took place between 2007 and 2013.

Additionally, Weidman is the only fighter to score a knockout victory over Silva in his 39 professional mixed martial arts contests. 

Will Silva heed the words of his son and decide to remain active in the sport behind the scenes or will he ultimately decide he has one more title run left in him?

 

John Heinis is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA editor for eDraft.com. 

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