Brace yourself!! Obviously when people are fighting someone is gonna get but dam these are brutal. Over the years MMA has given us some of the most horrific injuries that us as fans make us just want to stay as fans. The one that nobody will ever forget was Anderson Silva breaking his leg against Chris Weidman making fans never want to throw a leg kick in there life and changing the Silva;s career forever. Conor McGregor was another victim of a horrific leg break against Dustin Poirier which saw him out of the octagon for 5 years which goes to show, you don't play fighting. Which was the worst?
A new fan discussion is asking which of MMA's most gruesome injuries was the worst, with two leg breaks at the center of the debate: Anderson Silva's against Chris Weidman and Conor McGregor's against Dustin Poirier.
The Silva-Weidman injury remains the one most fans point to first. It came in their December 2013 rematch at UFC 168, a fight Weidman won by second-round KO/TKO after Silva's leg snapped on a checked kick. Weidman had also stopped Silva in the second round of their first meeting at UFC 162 that July, so both bouts ended in round two. The discussion argues the injury changed the course of Silva's career.
McGregor's break came in the third fight with Poirier, at UFC 264 in July 2021. That bout ended in a first-round doctor's stoppage, giving Poirier a second straight win over McGregor after his second-round KO/TKO at UFC 257 that January. The discussion notes McGregor was kept out of the Octagon for five years afterward.
The fighters involved
Silva, a 51-year-old Brazilian, holds a 34-11 record and fights out of Team Nogueira. His most recent recorded fight was a fourth-round TKO loss to Uriah Hall on October 31, 2020. A southpaw with a 77-inch reach, he landed 3.05 significant strikes per minute at 61 percent accuracy.
Weidman, 42, is 16-8 and trains with the Serra-Longo Fight Team. His most recent recorded fight was a second-round TKO loss to Eryk Anders at UFC 310 in December 2024. Weidman's wrestling profile stands out, with 3.27 takedowns per 15 minutes.
Poirier, 37, is 30-10 and represents American Top Team. His most recent recorded fight was a unanimous decision loss to Max Holloway at UFC 318 in July 2025. He lands 5.24 significant strikes per minute at 50 percent accuracy.
Why it matters
- Both injuries ended fights through stoppage, and both came in rematches or sequels where the winner already held momentum.
- Weidman beat Silva twice by second-round stoppage in 2013; Poirier beat McGregor twice in 2021 after McGregor had won their 2014 meeting by first-round KO/TKO.
- The five-year gap cited for McGregor shows how long a leg break can reshape a career timeline.
The original question, which was worse, is left to the fans.
