5 UFC headline bouts that were ended by serious injuries

#2. Yair Rodriguez vs. Jeremy Stephens – UFC Fight Night 159

Jeremy Stephen was unable to continue in his headline bout with Yair Rodriguez due to an eye injury

When the UFC headed to Mexico City in September 2019, they booked a clash between featherweight action heroes Jeremy Stephens and Yair Rodriguez in the event’s main slot.

To say that the fans in attendance were excited would be an understatement. Not only were they buzzing to see their countryman ‘El Pantera’ in action, but the fight sounded like it would guarantee fireworks. Sadly, that wasn’t the case.

Instead, after a brief exchange, Rodriguez reached out with his hand to gage distance and promptly poked Stephens directly in the eye. It was immediately clear that this was a bad poke, and despite ref Herb Dean giving ‘Lil Heathen’ five minutes to recover, he was unable to continue.

Incredibly, despite Stephens being unable to open his eye due to the injury, the Mexican fans didn’t seem to buy it at all, instead booing wildly and pelting the octagon with trash – something that bizarrely, Rodriguez appeared to be encouraging.

Other UFC headliners over the years were also stopped due to eye pokes, including the bout between Leon Edwards and Belal Muhammad in 2021, but this one remains the most memorable and disappointing due to the shocking crowd reaction that it garnered.

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#1. Chris Weidman vs. Anderson Silva – UFC 168

Anderson Silva was left in agony after a serious leg injury in his rematch with Chris Weidman

The worst injury to ever end a UFC headline bout – and the most grisly from a visual perspective, too – remains the leg break suffered by Anderson Silva in his rematch with Chris Weidman at UFC 168.

Not only did the finish end Silva’s hopes of regaining his middleweight title, it also largely ended his career as a top-level fighter, too.

The rematch was one of 2013’s most highly anticipated clashes, as Weidman had famously ended Silva’s near-seven year reign as middleweight kingpin a few months beforehand, catching ‘The Spider’ with a knockout blow as he attempted to bait him in with some odd taunting.

Coming into the fight, the fanbase appeared to be split between those who thought a more serious Silva would deal with Weidman easily, and those who thought the first fight wasn’t a fluke and that ‘The All-American’ would find a way to win again.

Nobody saw the ending coming, though. After an excellent first round that saw Weidman knock Silva down with a punch and beat him up on the ground, the second began with ‘The Spider’ attempting to work in some leg kicks.

However, as he threw one with his left leg, Weidman raised his own knee to check it. Silva’s shin connected awkwardly, and snapped in two, leaving his lower leg swinging around like a flipper.

Referee Herb Dean immediately stepped in with the Brazilian in absolute agony, and everyone watching was left shocked. Sure, Weidman had arguably caused the injury with his check, but nobody expected Silva’s leg to snap in such nasty fashion.

‘The Spider’ ended up taking more than a year away to heal from the injury, and when he returned, he wasn’t the same fighter, going just 1-5-1 before stepping away from the octagon in 2020.