Anderson Silva fought against Chris Weidman to try to retake the UFC middleweight title last night, during the UFC 168. However, Silva was, once again, defeated by Weidman after throwing one of his legendary leg kicks that landed him in the operating room.

“Following Saturday evening’s UFC 168 main event, former champion Anderson Silva was taken to a local Las Vegas hospital where he underwent surgery to repair a broken left leg,” read the statement issued by the UFC. “The successful surgery, performed by Dr. Steven Sanders, the UFC’s orthopedic surgeon, inserted an intramedullary rod into Anderson’s left tibia. The broken fibula was stabilized and does not require a separate surgery. Anderson will remain in the hospital for a short while, but no additional surgery is scheduled at this time. Recovery time for such injuries may vary between three and six months.”

At the press conference! Thanks for all the support! Prayers go out to Anderson and his family! Love u all! pic.twitter.com/kjTB5XFutN

— Chris Weidman (@ChrisWeidmanUFC) December 29, 2013

“Anderson is deeply touched by the outpouring of support from his fans and the entire MMA community,” the statement continued. “There has been no immediate decision about his future, and he would kindly ask for privacy at this time as he deals with his injury and prepares to return home to recover.”

While Dana White, the president of the UFC, says that it is possible that Silva could return to the octagon after he recovers, he does not know any specific details yet. “Maybe he’ll want to make a comeback, but who knows,” White said. “We’ll see what happens. I don’t want to count him out. I don’t want to count him in. The important thing is he gets the surgery and heals up.”

We wish @SpiderAnderson a speedy recovery. Update on his surgery: http://t.co/xVm9K2HTzn #UFC168 pic.twitter.com/tlw1tI1EBl

— UFC (@ufc) December 29, 2013

“Brasil, I’m sorry, I didn’t want to let you down,” Silva tweeted on Sunday morning. “I gave my best, I swear.”

Brasil sinto muito não queria ter desapontado vocês dei o meu melhor eu juro

— Anderson Silva (@SpiderAnderson) December 29, 2013

Image via Twitter