Anderson Silva's performance in front of a hometown crowd in Brazil at UFC 237 didn't go quite as planned. The legendary mixed martial artist went down late in the first round with a painful knee injury resulting in a TKO loss to Jared Cannonier.
Cannonier landed repeated kicks to Silva's legs throughout the first round. But a particular kick to the knee at 4:47 seconds into the first sent Silva to the mat writhing in pain. Unable to continue, the ref called the fight.
While Cannonier did nothing illegal, the Brazilian crowd let him hear it, raining down boos during his post-fight interview. To his credit, Cannonier kept his composure, praised Silva, and walked out of the Octagon. Silva, meanwhile, revealed that he had entered the fight with a knee injury and it seems that Cannonier's wearing him down eventually took its toll.
Prior to his fight at UFC 237, Silva's manager revealed that the 44-year-old was discussing a contract renewal with the UFC. While he's a fan-favorite and a legend in the sport, Silva has now lost 6 of his last 7 fights. His last win came against Derek Brunson at UFC 208 in 2017. Silva still has two fights remaining on his current contract, but it's look like time has begun to overtake his body.