MMA star Silva undergoes surgery to repair broken leg

Anderson Silva, right, of Brazil, screams after kicking Chris Weidman of Baldwin, N.Y., and injuring his leg during the UFC 168 mixed martial arts middleweight championship bout on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2013, in Las Vegas. Weidman won during the second round by a technical knock out after the kick by Silva. AP

Anderson Silva underwent surgery to repair a broken left leg, a gruesome injury he suffered in his loss to Chris Weidman on Saturday night (Sunday Manila time), the Ultimate Fighting Championship said.

In a statement posted on its website, the UFC said that an “intramedullary rod” was inserted into Anderson’s left tibia (shinbone) in an operation performed at a local Las Vegas hospital.

Silva’s broken fibula (calf bone) has also been stabilized and does not require additional surgery.

In the their UFC 168 title bout, the 38-year-old Mixed Martial Arts star from Brazil dropped to the canvas, writhed in pain, as his lower-leg snapped upon absorbing the impact of Weidman’s check of the kick.

The referee halted the fight a minute and 16 seconds into the second round, and Weidman retained the UFC Middleweight title.

The injury and the loss cast doubts on whether Silva, one of the celebrated MMA fighters of all time, could still return to the ring.

Silva, in a Twitter post, thanked his fans and friends for the support and said that he “will be better soon.”

“I now I need to be with my family to recovering better,” he also said.
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