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The UFC is the world leader in MMA, which is one of the most volatile sports in the world. A fight can always end in the blink of an eye, no matter which way the momentum swings. That's one of the many reasons why fans have rapidly gravitated to the organization.
Atop the list of the most anticlimactic plagues in the sport is when fighters succumb to injury. Whether it be in training leading to a fight cancelation or even in the fight itself, injuries leave an empty feeling for fans and fighters alike. Conor McGregor and, more recently, Aleksander Rakic are two of many that have succumbed to leg injuries under the UFC's bright lights.
Going more in-depth on injuries that happen during fights, accidents involving legs will be brought up frequently. Broken bones, torn ligaments, and damaged nerves — there's a number of things that can go wrong with a fighter's lower limbs in the midst of the action.
Here are 5 UFC fighters who suffered serious leg injuries mid-fight:
#5. Jimmy Crute
As the betting favorite, Jimmy Crute was one of many that were surprised by his opponent's performance. Anthony Smith lost two key fights in a row before entering the win column against Devin Clark. Nonetheless, it was still in question whether or not Smith belonged at the top of the division as he was slated against Jimmy Crute.
Smith had a precise lead hand, but Crute brutalized his adversary with leg kicks. Though 'The Brute's' leg attacks were more plentiful, it only took one from 'Lionheart' to spell the beginning of the end for the Australian. The low kick quite literally struck a nerve and put Crute on the mat.
When a certain nerve is hit powerfully and precisely, the person on the receiving end of this attack will suffer what is called "drop foot/foot drop". Similar to hitting one's elbow on a table, Crute's leg went numb and he lacked the ability to lift his foot. Though he scored takedowns afterwards, he seriously lacked the mobility necessary to fight and the cageside physician called a stop to the bout before the second round could begin.
#4. Thiago Santos
Leg injuries don't need to be visabally disturbing to be gruesome. When champion-hopeful Thiago Santos, at the largest stage of his career, took on Jon Jones, he began taking on water early on in the second round.
After 'Marreta' whiffed on a leg kick, his base leg buckled. With mobility severely impaired, everyone in attendance could only assume that he tore a ligament, which turned out to be quite the understatement. After five hard-fought rounds, the Brazilian fell short on two of the three judges' scorecards in a split-decision loss.
ACL, MCL, LCL, miniscus — Santos essentially tore anything that gave him the luxury of stability in his left leg. Despite the severity of this, he used his left leg as a weapon and used it well. Flinging his damaged leg like a pool noodle, the Brazilian found his mark time and time again. Though he didn't take the belt, he went five-rounds against one of the best fighters in the world and had a damaged leg for the majority of it, which is a win in and of itself.
#3. Sean O'Malley
The 'Suga' show is running full steam ahead, but it has been derailed once in the past. The controversy over this loss gives O'Malley some breathing room to joke about his "undefeated" record, but it's officially in the books as a TKO loss and remains the only blemish on his record to date.
In another example of drop foot in MMA, Marlon Vera landed a beautiful leg kick on 'Suga'. The term "drop foot" proved to be self explanatory following a landed low kick; O'Malley lost the ability to lift his foot and the subsequent stumbles rendered him a sitting duck.
'Chito' Vera is one of the best fighters in the bantamweight division. If an opponent is anything short of 100% ready and healthy against him, then it'll be a rough night in the office for them. O'Malley eventually fell to the mat and the stoppage came after a series of bludgeoning elbow strikes landed.
#2. Anderson Silva
One of the four faces to be on the proverbial Mount Rushmore of UFC fighters, Anderson Silva had one of the most, if not the most impressive, runs as a UFC champion that the MMA world has seen.
The longest streak that the promotion has seen from a champion, 16 wins had 'The Spider' looking invincible. However, the smoke was cleared in abrupt fashion as Chris Weidman knocked out the middleweight great. An immediate rematch was granted but would only introduce more hardship unto the career of the Brazilian.
In the second round of the rematch, a round that Silva began to find success in, he threw a leg kick that dropped the jaws of fans all over the world. Weidman checked the kick and Silva's leg wrapped around the champion's. The UFC has seen a similar injury with Corey Hill, but Silva's leg break remains one of the most shocking moments in UFC history.
#1. Chris Weidman
Going full circle in the worst way the sport has ever seen, Chris Weidman also broke his leg in the UFC. Following Silva's leg injury that resulted in Weidman's victory, he'd win a few more fights before falling into a slump. Weidman suffered many defeats but won a few, eventually positioning him to rematch Uriah Hall in 2021.
The fight didn't last long at all, but the former champion had a lot more bounce in his step than his previous performances. Weidman knew the danger that was opposite him, and this had him leaving no stone unturned in preparation for this bout.
The rejuvenated look was ephemeral as the only strike landed ended with a broken leg. Chris Weidman has been on both sides of this injury. Furthermore, this happened just moments after the previously listed Jimmy Crute leg injury. MMA can be very harsh; the highs are high but the lows sure can be brutal.
