Anderson Silva hospitalized for lumbago, UFC 183 fight with Nick Diaz still on

Bloody Elbow 2.0 | Anton Tabuena

In sudden and dramatic fashion, Anderson Silva found himself hospitalized with severe back pain following a workout on Monday evening.

Silva, who was training at XGym in Rio de Janeiro, noticed severe back pain following his workout, collapsed to the floor in pain, and desperately revealed that he could no longer feel his legs. This continued for several minutes before he was placed on a stretcher and transported to the hospital for evaluation.

Following a variety of tests, including MRI, CT scans, and blood tests, it was confirmed that Silva had suffered a bout of lumbago, which is a pain in the lower back that impacts 40% of people at one point in their lives. He was eventually discharged on Tuesday morning.

Combate.com confirmed the news (via sportv.globo).

The dramatic turn on Monday will not impact the highly anticipated UFC 183 main event between Silva and Nick Diaz. According to the medical director of the Brazilian MMA Athletic Commission (CABMMA), Silva’s lumbago is nothing to be alarmed about.

“It really was a shock,” Dr. Tannure said. “He felt a sharp pain because of contracture. It hurts a lot, really, but it will not change anything in terms of training. The problem he had justified the pain, but it will not result in a withdrawal or cancellation of the fight.”

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About the author

Karim Zidan

Karim Zidan is a investigative reporter and feature writer focusing on the intersection of sports and politics. He has written for BloodyElbow since 2014 and has served as an associate editor since 2016. He also writes for The New York Times and The Guardian. Karim has been invited to speak about his work at numerous universities, including Princeton, and was a panelist at the South by Southwest (SXSW) film festival and the Oslo Freedom Forum. He also participated in the United Nations counter-terrorism conference in 2021. His reporting on Ramzan Kadyrov’s involvement in MMA, much of which was done for Bloody Elbow, has led to numerous award nominations, and was the basis of an award-winning HBO Real Sports documentary.