SHOCK-TAGON
UFC’s worst injuries, from Conor McGregor’s horror broken leg to Overeem’s exploded lip and Jon Jones’ dislocated toe
MIXED MARTIAL ARTS isn't a sport for the faint-hearted, with fighters prone to suffering horrific cuts, broken limbss and concussions inside the cage.
Down the years, fighters competing in the Ultimate Fight Championship have sustained some of the most gruesome injuries broadcast on television.
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So SunSport thought it'd only be right to recap some of the worst injuries in the promotion's history.
Corey Hill vs. Dale Hartt at UFC Fight Night 16
The late Corey Hill was the first fighter to break their leg inside the octagon.
Moments after the start of the second round of his clash with Dale Hartt, Hill had a hard leg kick checked by his opponent.
His shin shattered upon impact, although the break was worsened when he tried to stand on the injured leg.
Hill collapsed and shuffled on the canvas in a bid to avoid follow-up shots.
The ref didn't initially see the break but eventually stopped the bout after UFC commentator Joe Rogan repeatedly screamed of 'stop the fight'.
The bout was Hill's last in the UFC, although he did successfully return to action two years later at Raging Wolf 6.
Hill fought a further 11 times, racking up four victories and suffering seven defeats.
He tragically passed away in May 2015 after suffering a collapsed lung and a heart attack.
Jon Jones vs. Chael Sonnen at UFC 159
Former pound-for-pound king, Jon Jones also suffered one of the most horrific injuries in UFC history - although he didn't even know it at the time.
At UFC 129, Jones scored a first-round TKO victory over Chael Sonnen to retain his light-heavyweight title.
But in the process, Bones dislocated his big toe.
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Somehow, Jones fought through the injury and even gave a post-fight interview as his toe was being tended to.
Rogan said: “You are a true champion for even attempting to make this work, while you deal with one of the nastiest foot injuries I’ve ever seen."
Anderson Silva vs. Chris Weidman at UFC 168
Future Hall-of-Famer Anderson Silva suffered the same fate as the late Hill in his eagerly-anticipated rematch with Chris Weidman at UFC 168.
The Brazilian's dream of becoming a two-time middleweight champion was shattered in the second round of their Las Vegas showdown when Weidman perfectly checked an inside leg kick.
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Silva's left shin wrapped around the Serra-Longo MMA standout's leg and was like jelly when he tried to put weight on it.
Despite the horrific nature of the break, Silva returned to the cage a mere 11 months later.
The MMA legend has competed ten times since that fateful night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, eight times inside the cage and twice in the boxing ring.
Leslie Smith vs. Jessica Eye at UFC 180
In November 2014, Leslie Smith took on Jessica Eye in a bantamweight division fight in Mexico City.
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The contest was a competitive affair until the second round.
Eye landed a nasty right hook on Smith’s left ear, causing it to explode with blood pouring on to the octagon floor.
The images of Smith’s open ear was stomach cringing. As a result, referee Herb Dean put an end to the fight.
Smith would step away from the octagon for more than a year following the injury, returning in March 2016.
Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Zhang Weili at UFC 248
In March 2020, Joanna Jedrzejczyk suffered one of the nastiest head swellings the sport had seen.
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Facing Zhang Weili, the bout at UFC 248 went the distance with both fighters inflicting an insane amount of damage on one another.
In the fourth round, Jedrzejczyk’s forehead swelled up due to a hematoma injury following a flurry of punches.
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Following the injury, Jedrzejczyk returned to Poland to have plastic surgery and has since made a full recovery.
Alistair Overeem vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik at UFC on ESPN
A memorable moment in the heavyweight battle between Alistair Overeem and Jairzinho Rozenstruik happened at UFC on ESPN in December 2019.
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With only seconds remaining in the final round, Rozenstruik blasted Overeem with a ferocious right hand that slit open Overeem’s upper lip, resulting in a TKO victory.
The brutal injury would require plastic surgery, but Overeem returned to the octagon in May 2020 and pick up a TKO win over Walt Harris.
Chris Weidman vs. Uriah Hall at UFC 261
In a cruel and shocking twist of fate, former middleweight king Weidman suffered the same injury he inflicted on Silva in his UFC 261 rematch with Uriah Hall.
Weidman's right tibia and fibula shattered a mere 17 seconds into the fight following a perfect outside step check from Hall.
Referee Herb Dean immediately called a halt to proceedings when Weidman collapsed after attempting to put weight on his rear leg.
The All-American went under the knife the next day and is seemingly on course to make a speedy recovery.
In June, Weidman shared a video of himself doing some light sparring with one of his training partners - just SEVEN weeks after his horrific injury.
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Conor McGregor vs Dustin Poirier III at UFC 264
The former division champion shattered his left tibia and fibula in the first round of his UFC 264 rubber match with former interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier.
McGregor's leg gave way in the final seconds of the first round as he and Poirier exchanged crosses, although the origin of the break is still unclear.
The Notorious has undergone extensive rehab since the break and is seemingly on course to return to the cage next year.
His manager - Audie Attar - recently revealed to SunSport his recovery is going better than expected.
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The Paradigm Sports Management chief said: "He's ahead of schedule.
"We not only just got our X-ray results [back], [we got] our ultrasound results and CT scan results.
"And when I look at the view of the X-ray myself, it's healing so beautifully.
"He's only 10-and-a-half weeks out of surgery and he's walking.
"And he's actually doing s*** that we don't want him to do like throwing the first pitch at the Cubs game."
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Danny Roberts vs Ramazan Emeev at UFC Vegas 40
Brit Danny Roberts picked up his second win on the bounce against grappler Ramazan Emeev in October.
But he was left with a horrific war wound on his skill for his efforts.
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A nasty spinning elbow from Emeev left the southpaw with a horrific cut on the top of his head.
Hot Chocolate needed several stitches to close the flapping skin on his skull, which no doubt would've been ringing after the fight.
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