In the co-main event of UFC 237, Jared Cannonier (11-4 MMA; 4-4 UFC) will make his second appearance at 185-pounds as he takes on former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva (34-9, 1NC MMA; 17-5, 1NC UFC). UFC 237: Namajunas vs. Andrade will air live from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil this Saturday, May 11. The main card starts on PPV through ESPN+, with the first fight taking place at 10:00 p.m. ET / 7:00 p.m. PT. The ESPN prelims will kick off at 8:00 p.m. ET on ESPN and the Fight Pass prelims start at 6:30 p.m. ET. How do these two stack up? Cannonier: 35 years old | 5’11” | 77.5” reach Silva: 44 years old | 6’2” | 77.5” reach What have these two done recently? Cannonier: W - David Branch (TKO) | L - Dominick Reyes (TKO) | L - Jan Blachowicz (DEC) Silva: L - Israel Adesanya (DEC) | W - Derek Brunson (UD) | L - Daniel Cormier (DEC) How did these two get here? It’s hard to believe Jared Cannonier used to fight at heavyweight, when he looked in such spectacular shape for his UFC middleweight debut in his last fight against David Branch at UFC 230. “The Killa Gorilla” earned a Performance of the Night bonus with his stoppage win that night, as he shut down one of the top contenders at 185-pounds in Branch. Consecutive losses at 205-pounds before that must have convinced Cannonier to make the move down to middleweight, and judging by his last outing it was a smart move to make. It’s almost sad when you realize Silva, who used to embarrass all of his opponents and dispatch them with ease, only has one win in his last seven UFC fights. That isn’t something that Silva thinks about though, for him it’s just the thrill of competing that keeps him in the sport. Although his last fight with Israel Adesanya was fun, Silva was nowhere near close to winning, and whether he can surprise many by beating Cannonier after the 35-year-old’s impressive debut at 185-pounds remains to be seen. Why should you care? Despite being 44 years of age, Silva showed glimpses of excellence in his last fight, so there is a chance we could see the old ‘Spider’ against Cannonier this weekend.<doc-sep>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>Buda Mendes/Zuffa LLC/Getty Images Anderson Silva did not make it out of the first round against Jared Cannonier during their UFC 237 fight Saturday night in Rio de Janeiro. Cannonier scored the technical knockout with a kick to the inside of Silva's leg, which injured the 44-year-old's knee. According to MMAjunkie's Fernanda Prates, who was present at Jeunesse Arena, Silva said, "It broke." After the loss, Silva apologized to the disappointed crowd: Cannonier's MMA record improved to 12-4, with eight of those wins coming via knockout. The 185-pounder started his post-fight interview in the Octagon by thanking Silva. "I really appreciate the opportunity to step in here," Cannonier said. "And he didn't have to fight me. He could have fought anybody he wanted to, and he accepted a fight with me." As Cannonier spoke, the crowd booed. Silva's loss continued a trend for the Brazilians on Saturday night: Silva had to be helped out of the Octagon and appeared unable to put any weight on his leg: Video Play Button Videos you might like In 2013, still in his prime, Silva broke his leg during a championship fight against Chris Weidman and had to be taken away in a stretcher. While Silva will go down as one of MMA's best, having won 22 fights by knockout and defended 10 titles, this injury may serve as the final blow to his career.<doc-sep>
Jared Cannonier stopped longtime champion Anderson Silva on the Brazilian's home turf Saturday, at UFC 237. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) Jared Cannonier scored the biggest win of his career Saturday night in Rio de Janeiro at UFC 237, scoring a TKO victory over Anderson Silva late in the first round. The stoppage came at 4:47 of the first round after Silva’s right leg absorbed the last of many inside leg kicks from Cannonier and the all-time great fell to the mat, screaming in pain. Cannonier attempted to follow up on the mat with strikes but the referee wisely stepped in and called a halt to the action. Up to that point the fight was closely fought, with Silva feinting and looking to counter as Cannonier stalked him, scored multiple right hands to the head near the fence as well as the aforementioned inside leg kicks. Before conducting his postfight interview, Cannonier went to check on Silva as he sat on his stool. The longtime former champion rose to his feet to embrace the American and assured him, saying, “good job, buddy. It’s OK. Good job.” The fans in attendance made no effort to reflect the athletes’ class and booed Cannonier even as he praised Silva’s courage. The rising contender made clear that he respects “The Spider” while also standing up for himself by specifying that he did not similarly respect the booing fans. “First off, I want to say, thank you to Anderson Silva,” Cannonier said, after a long pause as the fans booed. “I really appreciate the opportunity to step in here. He didn’t have to fight me. He could have fought anyone he wanted to … The crowd is a different story. They don’t respect me, I don’t respect them. It’s as simple as that.” The win is Cannonier’s second-straight TKO, as he improves his record to 12-4. Silva, whose own record now falls to 34-10-1, apologized for his latest loss. Story continues “I just couldn’t hold up,” the 44-year-old told the fans, afterward. “I’m sorry.” More from Yahoo Sports: