UFC 168 · December 28, 2013
Anderson Silva's Leg Break at UFC 168
In round 2 of their UFC 168 rematch, Anderson Silva threw a leg kick that Chris Weidman checked shin-to-shin. The impact fractured Silva's tibia in a spiral pattern, producing one of the most documented leg break injuries in MMA history — and permanently changing how fighters and coaches think about checking kicks.
What happened at UFC 168
Anderson Silva and Chris Weidman met for their rematch on December 28, 2013, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Silva had lost the UFC middleweight title to Weidman at UFC 162 in July 2013 and was seeking to reclaim it. The fight was competitive in the early rounds. In the second round, Silva loaded up on a leg kick to Weidman's lead leg — the same strike he had used throughout his career with devastating effect. Weidman checked the kick by lifting his knee and angling his shin downward to absorb the impact.
The contact between Silva's attacking shin and Weidman's checking shin concentrated the entire impact force at a single point on Silva's tibia — the mid-shaft, where there is minimal muscle mass to cushion the blow. Silva's tibia fractured in a spiral pattern. The fracture was visible at ringside. Silva immediately collapsed and the fight was stopped. Weidman retained the title by TKO (due to injury) at 1:16 of round 2.
The mechanism: why checking a kick can break the attacker's leg
A leg kick delivered at full force has the shin travelling at high velocity and carrying significant kinetic energy. When that kick meets a stationary, braced shin coming in the opposite direction, the impact force is doubled relative to a kick hitting a soft tissue target. The point of contact is a localised fulcrum, and the torque applied at that point creates a torsional and bending load that a single impact can exceed the tibia's fracture threshold.
Silva's tibia sustained a spiral fracture — a pattern characteristic of torsional loading — which suggests the rotational component of the kicking motion contributed to the fracture mechanics alongside the direct impact. The fibula was also fractured. Spiral tibial shaft fractures from checked kicks require surgical fixation with an intramedullary nail, which was performed on Silva following the event.
In the years since UFC 168, coaches and conditioning specialists have increasingly emphasised tibial cortical conditioning — specifically the progressive shin hardening process through low-level impact training that gradually increases bone density and compressive tolerance in the tibial cortex. While no conditioning programme eliminates fracture risk from a fully braced check, improved cortical density and bone geometry raise the threshold at which a given impact becomes injurious.
Silva's recovery and return
Anderson Silva underwent intramedullary nail fixation of the tibial fracture in the days following UFC 168. His recovery from a combined tibia and fibula fracture at age 38 was considered challenging by sports medicine standards — older athletes have slower bone healing and higher complication risk than younger patients. Despite this, Silva returned to MMA competition, fighting again in 2015 — approximately 17 months after the fracture.
His return demonstrated that full tibial shaft fractures are survivable injuries with appropriate surgical management and rehabilitation, even at elite competitive levels. Silva's case is frequently cited in sports medicine literature on combat sports injuries and in coaching discussions around shin conditioning and kick mechanics.
Full Rehab Guide
Tibia and Fibula Fracture
Full clinical guide to tibial shaft fractures — fracture types, surgical options, the intramedullary nailing procedure, and a detailed return-to-sport rehabilitation timeline.