Chris Weidman suffered a gruesome leg injury Saturday night at UFC 261.
Weidman’s right leg snapped above the ankle as the middleweight delivered a kick to the left leg of Uriah Hall in the opening seconds of their bout in Jacksonville, Fla. Weidman tried to continue but collapsed on the canvas as his injured leg folded underneath him.
(NOTE: SN is not including a clip of, or link to, the injury because of its graphic nature.)
Weidman was removed from the Octagon on a stretcher.
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ESPN reported that Weidman is scheduled to undergo surgery Sunday.
The injury drew immediate parallels to the gruesome leg fracture Anderson Silva suffered when he kicked Weidman during their fight in 2013. Silva returned to the Octagon in 2015 for UFC 183.
Weidman’s leg snapped the exact same way when Anderson Silva broke his leg against Weidman. What are the MMA Gods doing?
— Andreas Hale (@AndreasHale) April 25, 2021
Holy.
Weidman just kicked Uriah Hall SECONDS into their fight and his leg snapped. The exact same thing that happened to Anderson Silva against Weidman. This is absolutely horrific.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) April 25, 2021
Chris wideman just experienced Karma and Deja Vu 😳
— ‘Heel’ Buckets™️ (@BrendonMcBucket) April 25, 2021
Prayers up for Chris Wideman man that is so scary, almost the exact same injury that happened to Silva. This was about as disturbing #UFC261
— Carson Bertrand (@Carson_bertrand) April 25, 2021
Silva posted a message of support for Weidman on Instagram later Saturday.
“My deepest and most sincere sentiments champ. Have faith, I wish you a speedy recovery. In this moment I wish you and your family light, love and knowledge,” he wrote.