"He's a samurai" - Anderson Silva is praying that Conor McGregor comes back strong from his leg break
Anderson Silva believes Conor McGregor's mental toughness will be enough to see the Irishman pull through the brutal leg injury he sustained at UFC 264.
Anderson Silva notoriously suffered a gruesome broken leg of his own after having a kick checked by Chris Weidman at UFC 168. In a bizarre twist of fate, Weidman himself would later suffer a leg break of his own following a check from Uriah Hall.
However, as brutal an injury as it was, Anderson Silva was able to recover from it. He then went on to compete up until 2020 in the UFC. Speaking to The Mac Life, the former UFC middleweight champion had the following to say about McGregor's injury:
"This is tough moment you know. I know it's a tough moment but... Conor have the mental strong. He's a samurai. And I believe Conor come back stronger... I pray for Conor, I pray for Chris Weidman. And I believe the guy is back very soon."
You can check out The Mac Life's full interview with Anderson Silva below:
Conor McGregor already seems anxious to return to competing. He's posted multiple photos of his recovery to his Instagram. The Irishman has even hinted at potentially being fit to fight before the end of the year.
Anderson Silva's next fight
Despite now being 46 years old, Anderson Silva is still competing in combat sports. However, he is no longer an MMA fighter. He's now made the transition over to boxing. This weekend he takes on fellow former UFC fighter Tito Ortiz.
The fight will act as the co-main event for a Triller PPV card headlined by Vitor Belfort and Evander Holyfield. Also featured on the card is British boxing legend David Haye.
Anderson Silva already has one win in boxing following his departure from the UFC. He dominated Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. earlier this year. Silva has also hinted at potential future fights with Jake Paul and UFC legend Georges St-Pierre. However, he must first overcome Ortiz.
Whilst it was his wrestling that truly saw him achieve success in the UFC, Ortiz still has power in his hands. Despite being the underdog, he may present some problems for Silva if 'The Spider' is not at the top of his game.