By Sammy Strobel
Assistant Sports Editor
Within just 17 seconds of the opening bell, UFC fighter Chris Weidman suffered a horrifying broken leg in his match against Uriah Hall. Weidman’s right leg snapped as he attempted to kick a blocking Hall.
Cbssports confirms that the impact of the injury, which saw Weidman’s tibia break through the skin, brought a hush over the crowd and an emotional reaction from a stunned Hall.
“I got nothing but respect for Chris Weidman,” Hall said. “He is truly one of the best. It is a crazy story that he was the first man I fought that defeated me and introduced me to fear. I didn’t know what fear was, and during that time, we went different paths.”
The irony of the situation is that Weidman (15-6) scored a similar victory over former UFC champion Anderson Silva in their 2013 middleweight title rematch that left Silva sidelined for a full year. Some fans are calling it karma.
“He was the first one to defeat Anderson [Silva], I was the last. It’s just crazy how we ended up here again,” Hall added.
This fight was a rematch for the pair. Weidman scored a first-round TKO of Hall back in 2010. This was a significant victory for Hall as Weidman was the first fighter to ever defeat him.
