10 Emotional UFC Moments That Made The Fans Cry

5. Anderson Silva's Leg Break

Jose Aldo, from Brazil, right, and Chan Sung Jung, from South Korea, battle during their UFC 163 mixed martial arts Featherweight Championship bout in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2013. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)
David Becker/AP/Press Association Images

While Anderson Silva's first loss to Chris Weidman could unquestionably fit into this slot, what happened to 'The Spider' in their second fight stands as one of the most jarring moments in UFC history, whatever your opinion of the Brazilian.

Having lost his Middleweight Title, 17-fight wining streak, and much of his lustre at UFC 162, a fighter who once looked like he was in a different galaxy to his peers crashed back down to Earth in brutal fashion. His leg break was sickening. Silva's leg kick looked as innocuous as Weidman's check, but it snapped his shin, and the sight of the limb flopping around beneath him is still just as stomach-churning today.

'The Spider' was a wailing, screaming mess as he writhed on the canvas, his leg now barely held together. Seeing a man once considered godlike in such a fragile state was horrifying, and while Anderson's reputation as a cocky showboater was well-earned, only a ghoul would argue he deserved such a fate.

Anderson would return to the cage a year later, but the fighter he is today is almost as sad as the break itself.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.