Anderson Silva Suffers Brutal Leg Injury in UFC 168

Anderson Silva broke his left leg on a kick in the second round against Chris Weidman at UFC 168 on December 29, 2013.

Weidman defended his UFC middleweight title after the injury.

The fight ended 1:16 into the second round when Silva's left shin bent grotesquely while landing a kick on Weidman's left leg.

Silva's injury could conceivably end the 38-year-old Brazilian's MMA career, given his age and the severity of the injury.

Weidman paid tribute to the injured ex-champion, calling him the greatest fighter in the sport's history.

Silva left the octagon with a brace on his leg, and his nearly seven-year reign atop the middleweight division had already ended nearly six months ago when Weidman stopped him at UFC 162.

The injury happened too quickly to be seen by most naked eyes in Las Vegas, but thousands of fans cringed audibly when the replay was shown once on the arena's big screens.

Ronda Rousey also retained her bantamweight title in the UFC's year-end event, submitting Miesha Tate with a third-round arm bar.

Weidman quietly celebrated his victory while medical personnel tended to Silva, whose injury cast a pall over arguably the UFC's biggest fight card of the year.

Thousands of Brazilian fans, including retired soccer star Ronaldo, chanted and waved flags for Silva and several Brazilian undercard fighters.

The show was heavy on violent stoppages, with heavyweight Travis Browne knocking out veteran Josh Barnett in the first round with a series of elbows to the head.

Weidman has firmly ended the reign of Silva, who engaged in none of the preening and posturing that might have contributed to his first loss.

Silva's injury in the rematch conceivably could end his MMA career, given the severity of the injury and his age.