Mirko Cro Cop: Anderson Silva 'Will Never Be the Same Fighter' After Leg Injury

Former Pride and K-1 champion Mirko Filipovic believes former UFC middleweight top dog Anderson Silva will never be the same dominant force after suffering a broken left tibia and fibula late last year. 

Despite the fact the Brazilian fan favorite resumed training less than two months after the gruesome injury, "Cro Cop" believes the legendary fighter's best days are still behind him, per MMA Fighting. 

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"I heard, thank God, he's recovering, but it'll always leave a scar in his mind, and even physically," Filipovic said on this week's edition of The MMA Hour. "He will never be the same fighter. He'll never. I really like and respect and admire him, but I don't think he will ever be 100-percent the old Anderson Silva. It was a terrible injury. He'll always start thinking, what if it happens again? But that's the name of the game. You cannot avoid it. Sometimes it just happens."

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Silva suffered the severe leg break when he fought UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman at UFC 168 in December, where "The Spider" looked for redemption from his July knockout loss to his American counterpart. 

As fate would have it, December 28 of last year wasn't Silva's night, either, as the fight veteran snapped his leg as it slammed into Weidman's knee on a checked leg kick.

The 38-year-old required immediate surgery, but against all odds, has managed to recover at an astonishing rate.

Whether or not he can return back to his old self inside the Octagon is another question.

Prior to his UFC 162 loss to Weidman, Silva had won 17 straight bouts (16 under the UFC banner) and set the UFC record with 10 successful middleweight title defenses.

While there hasn't been any serious discussions about when Silva will return or who he would fight, he remains the top ranked 185-pound contender in the UFC's official rankings.  

On the other hand, Filipovic, 39, is 1-4 in his past five MMA bouts and lost a kickboxing bout under the Glory banner this past Saturday against Remy Bonjasky. 

Will Silva be able to replicate his past success or are his best fights behind him whether he likes it or not?

John Heinis is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA editor for eDraft.com.