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Chris Weidman received flak for his alleged improper conduct when Anderson Silva snapped his own leg at UFC 168. But now the All-American has taken to Twitter to respond to the allegations, which called 'wrong'.
The former NCAA Division-1 wrestler claims he was unaware of Anderson Silva's grave injury when 'The Spider' curled up in agony at UFC 168. Upon noticing the broken left leg of Anderson Silva, Chris Weidman promptly tried to console the Brazilian fighter.
"Anyone saying I celebrated when Anderson's leg snapped is entirely wrong. I didn't know his leg snapped. I just thought I checked leg kick good, and he went down in pain, which often happens in sparring. Painful for a short time but gets better quickly -- kind of like a body shot. After circling the octagon, I realized that he was in severe pain by his yelling and immediately went and checked on him and tried to console him. That's when I noticed him holding his leg in place. There was no happiness on my behalf from that point on," wrote Chris Weidman.
Weidman also wrote about how he helped Silva's coaches get into the octagon after the incident.
"I then went and pushed security out of the way so his coaches could get into the octagon and he could have some familiar faces next to go during the horrific event," continued Chris Weidman.
Anderson Silva reportedly snapped his tibia and fibula when Chris Weidman checked one of his left kicks. Consequently, Silva had to sit on the sidelines for over a year after the horrendous injury.
The Brazilian told ESPN in an interview how traumatized he was after the incident.
"I was afraid. I don't look at my leg. I don't see my leg. I just take the medicine and just sleep for two days."
What urged Chris Weidman to put forth a statement?
According to reports, there have only been two instances in the UFC where a fighter accidentally snapped their own leg. Chris Weidman was involved in both these occurrences.
At UFC 261, Chris Weidman snapped his right leg as he landed a kick at Uriah Hall. The severe collision led to an immediate stoppage, and Hall was awarded the victory via TKO. The bout marked the first instance where a fighter won without throwing a single strike.
(Warning: The following video contains disturbing imagery. Viewer discretion advised)
Uriah Hall appeared gutted about Chris Weidman's injury. 'Prime Time' wished the former champion a full recovery in the post-fight interview. This led to the MMA Twitterverse comparing Chris Weidman's post-fight behavior at UFC 168 to Uriah Hall's courteous conduct at UFC 261.
The severe criticism prompted Chris Weidman to issue a statement and clear the air.
