Anderson Silva avoids serious injury in UFC 237 loss to Jared Cannonier

Anderson Silva didn’t suffer a serious injury in his UFC 237 defeat to Jared Cannonier, sources told MMA Fighting on Tuesday.

The former UFC middleweight champion suffered a first-round TKO loss in the co-main event of UFC 237 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Saturday night, collapsing on the canvas after receiving a heavy kick to the right knee.

Immediately after the bout, Silva’s team knew he hadn’t suffered any fracture, but worried that the kick had caused damage to his ligaments. However, an MRI exam showed that his ligaments are intact and “The Spider” only needs physical therapy before returning to training.

Silva (34-10, 1 no-contest) has now lost six of his last eight bouts since 2013. He was victorious in two occasions, defeating Derek Brunson and Nick Diaz via decision, but the win over Diaz was later overturned to a no-contest after both fighters tested positive for banned substances.

A day after the UFC 237 loss, Silva released a statement on his social media suggesting he will not hang up his gloves.