Chris Weidman Denies Celebrating After Anderson Silva Leg Break
Chris Weidman received well-wishes from around the MMA community after suffering a horrific leg injury in his fight against Uriah Hall at UFC 261 on Saturday, including his old rival Anderson Silva.
Fans and critics alike found eerie similarities between Weidman’s injury on Saturday and Silva’s injury during their second middleweight title fight at UFC 168. Some trolls on the internet went as far as saying Weidman got what he deserved after earning a TKO victory over Silva due to the Brazilian suffering a broken leg off a checked low-kick.
After old images resurfaced of Weidman appearing to celebrate while Silva was in agonizing pain at UFC 168, Weidman felt the need to make a statement on Twitter, clarifying that he did not in fact celebrate Silva’s injury and the image in question was taken before “The All-American” knew what had happened.
“Anyone saying I celebrated when Anderson’s leg snapped is entirely wrong,” Weidman said in a tweet on Tuesday. “”After circling the octagon, I realized he was in severe pain by his yelling and immediately went and checked on him. There was no happiness on my behalf from that point on.”
Weidman suffered a torn tibia and fibula after throwing his first kick of the night against Hall just seconds into their UFC 261 bout. In a video statement published on his Instagram yesterday, Weidman updated fans saying that a full recovery could take 6-12 months and that his surgery on his leg was successful. He also said that he won’t be able to walk or be on his feet at all for the next few weeks.
The horrific injury suffered by Weidman was a dark moment during an otherwise epic UFC 261 event from top-to-bottom. After the fight, Hall took the time to give support for Weidman and appeared shocked during his octagon interview with Joe Rogan.
It is unclear as of right now whether or not Saturday night will end up being the final time that we see Weidman in the UFC octagon, but the 36-year-old appears in good spirits and is looking forward to a possible comeback. As for Silva, he was released from the UFC following his last fight against Hall; in which he lost by TKO.
What was your reaction to Chris Weidman‘s leg injury at UFC 261? What do you think about his clarification regarding the aftermath of UFC 168 against Anderson Silva?
