Video: UFC 247 opens with tribute to Kobe Bryant

Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty ImagesAs promised, the UFC honored NBA legend Kobe Bryant to begin its UFC 247 pay-per-view broadcast on Saturday.

Bryant and eight others (including his 13-year-old daughter Gianna) died in a helicopter accident on Jan. 26 and UFC President Dana White said earlier this week that his organization was planning a tribute to the Los Angeles Lakers great.

UFC 247 opened with a video tribute to Bryant and the victims of the helicopter crash, followed by a nine-second moment of silence at Toyota Center in Houston.