There are certain risks fighters make when they enter the ring, wondering if they will be able to leave the same way.
Unfortunately in these high-contact sports, injuries are just a part of the game.
As fighters battle through attrition, it is inevitable that the mind will eventually outwork the body, thus forcing an injury.
Other times, there are freak accidents.
We saw Washington Redskins' quarterback Alex Smith suffer one of the worst leg breaks of recent, while another legendary QB, Joe Theismann watched from the sidelines, as he was injured in the exact same way 33 years earlier.
Hold on to your lunches as we look at the five of the worst leg breaks in combat sports.
Anderson Silva vs. Chris Weidman at UFC 168
In what was supposed to be rematch from a 'fluke' win, Anderson Silva looked to reclaim his middleweight title from Chris Weidman at UFC 168.
Silva was successful with leg kicks in the first bout and looked to utilize them against Weidman once again. Weidman had other plans.
After being dominated in the first round, Silva looked to start fast in the second.
Just after the opening minute in the second round, Silva would throw a leg kick to Weidman. Weidman would check the kick, breaking Silva's leg in half. Silva would fall to the canvas in agony, screaming in pain, while Weidman would celebrate the victory and his first title defense.
Silva would speak on the injury, "It's something I don't like to remember too much. I went through the worst month of my life. It was a lot of pain the moment when I broke my leg. When I realized my leg was broken, I thought my career was over. So a million things went through my mind."
Weidman reflected on practicing the technique and told FOX Sports, "It’s not really going shin-to-shin, but getting your knee on the shin. I’ve done it in sparring with some hard kickers to let them know not to kick me anymore. Their legs didn’t break, but they would either take a minute to walk it off or they wouldn’t be kicking me as much. It’s something I’ve definitely been working on."
Corey Hill vs. Dale Hartt at UFC: Fight For The Troops
The late Corey Hill entered the UFC as a competitor of The Ultimate Fighter 5. Hill was a former NJCAA All-American wrestler and a former teammate of Daniel Cormier at Colby Community College.
In his fourth professional fight, he was scheduled to take on Dale Hartt.
Just twenty seconds into the second round, Hill would throw a leg kick which Hartt would block. Hill's leg would shatter immediately, and would fold under him while stepping back to reset his placement.
Hill would return to from injury 13 months later.
'The Real Deal' died at the age of 36 after suffering a heart attack and collapsed lung, following a battle with pneumonia.
Tyrone Spong vs. Gokhan Saki at GLORY 15 Istanbul
Since 2011, Spong was undefeated in kickboxing action defeating the likes of Melvin Manhoef, Peter Aerts, Remy Bonjasky, Filip Verlinden, Saulo Cavalari, Michael Duut, Nathan Corbett and Danyo Ilunga.
Saki, a kickboxing star, would move down to his more natural-suiting light heavyweight division.
Spong and Saki would both meet in the GLORY 15 light heavyweight tournament finals for the inaugural GLORY light heavyweight title.
Midway through the first round, Saki would check a kick (notice the trend here) causing a fracture in Spong's leg. 'The King of the Ring' would fall to the mat, while Saki would show sportsmanship and console his fallen opponent.
Spong would undergo surgery to repair the damage on his leg. Miraculously, just 40 hours after going under the knife, videos show Spong walking on his surgically repaired leg.
Unfortunately, Spong would retire from kickboxing and would pursue a career in boxing.
George Roop vs. Yoon Jun Lee at ROAD FC 031
George Roop first appeared for Zuffa entering the eighth season of The Ultimate Fighter. He would go 1-2 in his first tenure with the parent company of the UFC, before joining WEC in 2010. Roop would fight for the promotion to its end, and join the UFC roster following WEC's merger.
Roop would eventually be released from the UFC after going 4-6 in his second stint. He would make his way over to South Korea to fight for ROAD FC.
In his first fight for the promotion, Roop was scheduled to take on former ROAD FC bantamweight champion Yoon Jun Lee.
In the opening minute, Roop would attempt a front kick to the body of Lee, but caught the elbow of Lee, who was trying to protect his body. Roop immediately collapsed to the canvas and left the cage to the hospital in a stretcher.
Jose 'Pele' Landi-Jons vs. Brian Gassaway at TKO 32
Unfortunately this fight is scarred into the collective brains of Fight Network due to airing on the network.
Headlining TKO 32: Ultimatum in Montreal was a fight between Brazilian-Cuban MMA, Vale Tudo and Muay Thai legend Jose 'Pele' Landi-Jons taking on well-seasoned veteran Brian Gassaway.
Less than a minute into the second round, 'Pele' would throw a heavy leg kick toward a pressuring Gassaway. Landi-Jons' kick would land just on top of Gassaway's knee and immediately snap his leg. Gassaway would rain punches on a downed Landi-Jons until the referee pulled him off for the victory.
Landi-Jons would tell CagePages (Now with FanSided) that recovery took 'seven months.' Landi-Jons returned to fighting just 16 months after the incident.
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