Who is the only fighter to win a title fight by TKO due to a broken leg?

Chris Weidman is the only fighter to win a UFC title fight by TKO after an opponent suffered a broken leg. He retained the middleweight championship against Anderson Silva at UFC 168 on December 28, 2013.

The stoppage came early in the second round when Silva threw a left leg kick and Weidman checked it with his knee. Silva’s leg buckled immediately, and referee Herb Dean stopped the contest at 1:16 of the round. The official result was a TKO caused by a leg injury, rather than a conventional knockout or a submission.

The fight was a rematch. Weidman had already defeated Silva at UFC 162 five months earlier, ending Silva’s historic middleweight title reign. The injury victory was especially shocking because Silva’s leg kicks had been one of his signature weapons throughout his career.

A common mix-up is Weidman’s later fight with Uriah Hall at UFC 261. In that bout, Weidman suffered a broken leg and Hall won by TKO, but it was not a title fight.