For the second time in six years, a leg injury caused by a kick forced former middleweight champion Anderson Silva to bow out of a UFC fight. Silva (34-10, 1 NC), who suffered a gruesome broken leg during a 2013 title loss to Chris Weidman, was unable to continue late in Round 1 of Saturday's UFC 237 co-main event bout after an inside leg kick from Jared Cannonier (12-4) caused a right knee injury. The first-round TKO loss was the second straight defeat for Silva, the 44-year-old Brazilian legend who was fighting in front of a partisan home crowd in Rio de Janeiro. Although the native of Sao Paulo was reportedly negotiating a new contract with UFC entering this fight, the loss could be a particularly damaging one in relation to his future should the injury be serious. Can't get enough UFC? Subscribe to my podcast State of Combat with Brian Campbell where we break down everything you need to know in the Octagon. Silva, who fell to 1-6 with 1 NC since 2013 during a span in which he twice failed drug tests, was able to stand and walk with help inside the Octagon after the loss but was visibly in pain. "I'm sorry guys," Silva said to the crowd. "In training, my knee was already really bad. I took a kick to it and my knee couldn't hold up. I'm really sorry." The crowd instantly jeered the finish and Cannonier, 35, was barely able to conduct his post-fight interview while being serenaded with huge boos. "Thank you to Anderson Silva. I really appreciate the opportunity to step in here. He didn't have to fight me. He could have fought anyone he wanted to but he chose to step inside and fight me," Cannonier said. "The crowd is a different story. They don't respect me and I don't have respect for them and that's just it." Cannonier did well to pressure Silva in the opening round with short right hands to consistently back him up to the cage. Although Silva was able to feint enough to create space, he was never able to land anything of significance. Even after Silva trapped Cannonier in his patented muay Thai clinch late in the round, Cannonier powered out with heavy hooks that landed upstairs. Shortly after, he uncorked an inside kick which caused Silva's right knee to buckle to the side and drop him. Cannonier leaped in to land punches as referee Herb Dean dove in to end the fight at 4:47. For complete results from UFC 237, click here.<doc-sep>The UFC 237 co-main event was where the #10 ranked middleweight Jared Cannonier stopped former middleweight champ Anderson Silva in the second round. Cannonier pressed forward to open up the match, but Silva quickly gained respect. A series of overhand rights scored for Cannonier as Silva’s back was to the cage, but Silva used the Thai plum to escape into open space. Silva came alive at the end of the round, but a Cannonier inside leg kick sent Silva crashing to the floor in agony. Silva seemed to suffer a leg injury on the same leg that he broke when he faced Chris Weidman for the second time. Cannonier is now the owner of back-to-back finishes at 185-pounds. Afterward, the fans loudly booed Cannonier after his anticlimactic but fully valid win, as it was a legal strike on Silva’s knee that resulted in the stoppage. He improves to 2-0 at middleweight, while the 44-year-old icon of MMA has suffered an injury TKO for the second time in five years. Jared Cannonier def. Anderson Silva by TKO at 4:47 of round 1: Middleweight<doc-sep>Buda Mendes/Zuffa LLC/Getty Images Jared Cannonier added a legendary name to his resume with a first-round TKO win over Anderson Silva in the co-main event of UFC 237 in Rio de Janeiro. Cannonier was the aggressor from the get-go as a tentative Spider looked to counter. However, a well-timed inside leg kick turned out to be Silva's undoing. His knee buckled, bringing about the end of the fight. Per ESPN's Ariel Helwani, Silva apologized to the fight crowd after his loss, saying his knee had previously been "bothering" him during camp. The result was not well-received by the Brazilian crowd who were hoping to see a hometown hero turn back the clock and pick up a win: It was a response that Cannonier wasn't too happy with after scoring the biggest win of his career: As MMA History Today noted, this isn't the first time Silva has suffered an apparent leg injury. Silva famously lost a fight against Chris Weidman due to a gruesome leg injury and referee Herb Dean was involved in that one as well. Video Play Button Videos you might like The win is easily the biggest of Cannonier's career. Silva is long in the tooth and a shell of what he once was, but the name should bolster Cannonier's stock as he continues to transition to the middleweight division. He has struggled to make an impact as both a heavyweight and a light heavyweight but is now 2-0 as a middleweight with a win over David Branch and Silva. For Silva, this is just the latest evidence that it may be time to hang up the gloves. The 44-year-old has done just about all there is to do in the sport and will be considered one of the greatest of all time regardless of what he chooses to do from here, but he is just 1-6 with a no-contest in his last eight fights. But the Brazilian seems to still love what he is doing. "I still have some fights in my contract," Silva said, per Guilherme Cruz of MMA Fighting. "So [Cannonier] is one more fight, one more challenge, one more training camp that we have many things to explore with all the coaches and rediscover ourselves, find new things that we didn't imagine we could find in training, in physical preparation. I'm always learning more." Losing fights to someone like Cannonier may be a sign that Silva's time has come, especially if the knee injury turns out to be serious. However, it's hard to deny the man has earned the right to get back in the Octagon considering his storied career.<doc-sep>UFC 237 was co-headlined by Anderson Silva taking on Jared Cannonier. The former middleweight champion took multiple hard leg kicks, with Cannonier eventually ending the contest after landing a massive one that badly hurt Silva. He dropped to the mat in pain, and Herb Dean immediately stopped the contest. Watch highlights from the bout below, along with a snippet from our play-by-play: With the TKO but @KillaGorillaMMA can't not respect the legendary Anderson Silva! pic.twitter.com/eOrCfnZ0VS — UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) May 12, 2019 After a leg injury that ended his bout by first round KO, @SpiderAnderson is helped out of the Octagon #UFC237 pic.twitter.com/gWgk0pay2M — SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 12, 2019 Round 1 - Slow start, which is par for the course for Anderson. Leg kick from Cannonier. Another. He misses with two right hooks. Another leg kick. Silva hadn’t thrown a thing until two minutes in when he lands a body kick. Cannonier walks Anderson down and lands a eg kick. Silva responds with his own, then his a jumping switch kick. Right hook from Cannonier, and again. Silva with an elbow but he can’t lock up the Thai clinch. Silva with a front kick to the body. Cannonier with an inside leg kick. Cannonier with a slapping right hook. He goes to the body. Jab. Silva whiffs on a head kick and spins thatrically. Cannonier lands a hard kick to the knee and Silva goes down injured. It’s over just like that. Jared Cannonier defeated Anderson Silva via TKO (leg kick), 4:47 of round 1<doc-sep>
Jared Cannonier reacts to being booed by the fans after defeating Anderson Silva at UFC 237. (1:05) Cannonier: If fans don't like me, I have no reason to like them (1:05) Jared Cannonier stood in the center of the Octagon, a microphone in his face, silent. The crowd, meanwhile, was anything but. Fans in attendance at Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro showered Cannonier with loud boos for nearly a minute after his TKO of legend Anderson Silva at 4 minutes, 47 seconds of the first round Saturday in the co-main event of UFC 237. Seconds earlier, Cannonier landed a big kick to the inside of Silva's right leg. Upon impact, Silva crumbled to the mat and grabbed his knee in pain. Referee Herb Dean waved off the bout, ruling Cannonier the winner. It was the first time Silva, an icon in his native country, had fought in Brazil since 2012. The fans could not accept the ending to the bout, as legitimate as it was. Cannonier thanked Silva for the opportunity but had some choice words for the spectators. "The crowd is a different story," Cannonier said. "They don't respect me, I ain't got no respect for them. And that's just it." A member of Silva's team told ESPN early Sunday morning that the extent of his injury isn't yet known but that he doesn't have a fracture. The team member said the fear is that Silva has a ligament injury. Silva said afterward that he came into the fight with an existing knee injury he had not mentioned. "I'm sorry, guys," Silva said. "In training, my knee was already a little bad. I took a kick to it, and it just didn't hold up. I'm sorry." Cannonier landed several kicks to Silva's leg before the finishing blow, and the area around Silva's knee was already bruised. It was the most effective bit of offense from either man in a fight that hadn't yet hit a second gear.