Anderson Silva Still Battling Mental Block After Broken Leg

Since his horrific leg break at UFC 169 in December against Chris Weidman, legendary UFC fighter Anderson Silva has shown remarkable strength of character – vowing almost immediately that he would fight again and showing remarkably swift progress in his recovery.

However, despite his almost mythical status in the Octagon Silva is only human like the rest of us and in a new interview with he admits that he is still trying to overcome his fears over his broken limb.

“I feel no pain at all,” Silva told Fantastico. “My strength is back because I’m back to training. The hardest part is self-confidence, to kick again as I used to.

“I’ve worked with a psychologist so I can get rid of the ghosts of those horrible moments of that fight, when I had that accident. I’m a little apprehensive in training. I know I can execute the movement, but I end up not doing it for fear.”

During the interview Silva also reiterated that he no longer has a desire to become champion again and indicated that thoughts of retirement no loom large in his mind.

“I’m over this thing of being champion, having the title,” Silva said. “The truth is, there will only be one Ayrton Senna, there will only be one Pele, and there will only be one Anderson Silva, so whoever saw me, saw me. Who haven’t seen me, won’t see it.

“In a way you’ll see me, but not for the belt, that thing of being champion again. I don’t have patience for this. I think I’m closer to retirement every day.”

Silva is currently scheduled to fight Nick Diaz at UFC 183 on January 31st, so he’s still got five more months to get over his apprehension about kicking, though in all likelihood the only way he’ll truly be able to overcome his fears will be to actual get back into the Octagon and compete again.

Over the years I've watched the UFC develop into the powerhouse it is today, organizations like PRIDE, Strikeforce and WEC rise and fall, and Bellator emerge as a new force on the MMA landscape. Throughout it all I've remained captivated by the sport and I'm excited to cover what comes next here on MMA Insight.