Anderson Silva says he fought injured against Weidman: 'I was 85%'

A.Silva (photo) says he fought injured against C. Weidman. Photo: Josh Hedges/UFC

Anderson Silva was knocked out by Chris Weidman at UFC 162 in July and lost the middleweight belt. However, the Brazilian surprised everyone and spoke for the first time that he was injured.

Around 30 days before the setback against the North American, the 'Esporte Interativo' channel website had reported Spider's injury, a fact that was widely denied by Anderson's entire team. But this Sunday (29) Silva confessed that he had a fractured rib.

“It was good to bring this up, because I was really hurt. Until now no one had touched on this subject, but that is no excuse for my performance. It was a little below the rib that I had fractured before the first fight against Sonnen. And that's it. I was at 85% of my physical condition,” said Anderson, who preferred not to detail the injury.

“I can't talk about it, because anything I say could be used against me. It’s the past,” she added.

Anderson Silva e Chris Weidman are in Brazil to promote a rematch valid for the middleweight belt. This Sunday, the fighters, alongside UFC president Dana White, were at the Copacabana Palace to meet fans and journalists. On Monday (30), they will be in São Paulo for a press conference.