On Saturday night, Anderson Silva’s career looked to be in jeopardy after breaking his leg in his fight against Chris Weidman in the main event of UFC 168. If you are one of the few who haven’t seen the graphic moment, you can see it, but watch at your own risk.
The professional wrestling fan inside of me immediately wondered how the UFC could market Anderson Silva’s comeback if he were able to come back.
On Sunday, the UFC released a statement that stated the injury could take from three to six months to heal. The statement didn’t mention if he would be able to come back or how long rehab would take.
I think it would be a hard sell if Silva was able to make a complete comeback to have him face Weidman again. Weidman was clearly winning the fight handily before Silva got hurt. And the idea that Silva would comeback with such a severe injury and get another match at Weidman is kind of ridiculous.
Let’s say that it takes a full year for Anderson Silva to be able to fight again. And is that a good time frame? I have no idea. It could be longer.
But the best way this could work is if Chris Weidman loses to Vitor Belfort when they fight. Weidman may have hurt his knee during the fight, so it’s possible that the proposed match with Belfort may be delayed.
If Vitor Belfort is the middleweight champion and Anderson Silva is able to return, their rematch would be perfect for a stadium in Brazil. It’s also a fight that Silva could realistically win, even though Belfort is a tremendous striker. But he’s not a wrestler and Silva wouldn’t have to be on the defensive so much. I don’t think he will ever beat Weidman. But I think he could beat Belfort even coming back from injury.
Anderson Silva’s redemption needs to have a possibility to come full circle. It doesn’t happen with Weidman as champion. But it could happen with Belfort as champion.