The questions were supposed to be answered. After a strange fight marred by controversy, this was supposed to be the end-all be-all. "Leave no Doubt", the headline said. But this one also ended in odd, gruesome fashion.
Weidman and Silva came out to start the first round, and Weidman took the fight right to Anderson. They stood and traded for a bit, and then the champ tripped Anderson. Anderson got to the cage and stood up before landing a nasty knee to the body. Weidman then dropped Anderson with an overhand right, and almost had him knocked out, but Anderson weathered the storm. Weidman got into Anderson's guard and landed brutal elbows before the round ended.
Round 2 was where things got hairy.
Weidman and Silva stood and traded for a bit, and then Anderson threw a hard leg kick which was checked by Weidman. This was the end. Silva's shin broke in impact, dropping him to the floor in agony. The bout was immediately stopped by Herb Dean. Weidman knew it was over and began celebrating before going over and checking on Anderson.
Following the gruesome injury, the cameras did not show a replay and did not show Anderson on the ground for the remainder of the PPV broadcast. Reports from inside the MGM Grand state that doctors immediately put a cast on Anderson in the octagon, strapped him to a stretcher, and carted him out of the arena. Anderson screamed in agony as he was being carted off.
Following the end of the broadcast, UFC President Dana White gave some more info: Anderson was immediately undergoing surgery.
This wasn't the way we wanted it to happen, but it did, and Chris Weidman is still the champion. He gets a bout with Vitor Belfort(24-10) next. Let's take a look at some winners and losers.
WINNERS
Chris Weidman- It's a bad way to get it done, but Chris Weidman is still the champion, and maybe his performance in the first round will silence some haters. Chris landed nasty elbows from top position and dropped Anderson before the injury. He gets a bout with Vitor Belfort next, which is a great test for him.
Ronda Rousey- Rousey utterly dominated Miesha Tate throughout their war and was never really in danger. Tate gave her the toughest fight of her career, but that's not saying much. Ronda showed much-improved striking and especially a very powerful right hand, in addition to her already amazing judo game and groundwork. It was announced following the fight that Rousey would have a quick turnaround, facing Sara McMann as the main event of UFC 170 on February 22nd, 2014.
Uriah Hall- Hall proved that he belongs in the UFC after two lackluster performances and questions of his drive, determination, and "killer instinct" in the words of Dana White. Hall had a tough test in front of him with gritty veteran Chris Leben. Hall knocked Leben down in the first and just battered him with shots after that. Hal showed some hesitation in the middle of the round, but dropped Leben at the end of the 1st and came extremely close to knocking him out. Leben quit on the stool following the first round. Great performance by Hall.
LOSERS
Everyone- Everyone loses here, even Chris Weidman, even though I listed him as a winner. Weidman loses because people will still have questions about both his wins over Anderson. Silva loses because of obvious reasons. The UFC loses their biggest star. And the fans lose because we don't get the fight we wanted to see.
Miesha Tate- Tate put up a valiant effort, but it wasn't enough to beat the champ. She was the first to take Ronda out of the first round, but still lost to the armbar. Tate is now in the Junior dos Santos/Joseph Benavidez territory where she's lost to the champ twice and probably won't be getting a title shot any time soon.
Josh Barnett- After an impressive TKO victory over former champion Frank Mir, big things were expected by Barnett. But in his way was a monster named Travis Browne. After a hard right hook, Barnett went for the double leg but was pushed toward the cage and hit hard with four nasty elbows to the temple by Browne. I don't think we'll see Barnett, at his age, in the title picture any time soon.
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