Ex-UFC champ Anderson Silva hitting pads just eight weeks after broken leg

Former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva continues documenting his steady recovery from a broken leg.

Today, his manager, Ed Soares, posted a video of the MMA great hitting pads for the first time since the gruesome injury eight weeks ago.

Silva (33-6 MMA, 16-2 UFC), working with coach Marco Morales, can be seen bouncing gingerly on his left leg, which split during a UFC 168 loss to champ Chris Weidman (11-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) on Dec. 28. However, Silva’s latest strikes have some of their trademark snap on them.

While the recent injury prompted speculation about Silva’s potential retirement, both he and UFC President Dana White have assured he’ll return to the cage. In fact, this past weekend, White said the 38-year-old could be back in the octagon by the end of the year.

White said the fighter’s doctor raved about the speediness of his recovery, but the UFC boss was careful not to get ahead of himself.

“We’ll see what happens,” he said. “Anything can happen. He can hurt it again in training or anything is possible. He could start training and not feel the same. We’ll just see how it all plays out.”

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