Issue 184
November 2019
The grisly sight of Mike Perry's broken nose and his courage in enduring it, bring focus to the bravery and brutality of MMA. Over the next pages we salute those who have suffered similarly for the sport
Anderson Silva: leg break
vs Chris Weidman – UFC 168
One of the most highly anticipated rematches of all time took place at UFC 168 when Chris Weidman took on Anderson Silva for a second time. After Weidman had knocked Anderson out cold in their first fight at UFC 162, fans around the world were excited to see whether he could prove beyond all reasonable doubt that his maiden UFC title win was no fluke and defeat Anderson for the second time in just eight months.
With the MGM Grand in Las Vegas packed to the rafters with over 15,600 fans in attendance, the American once again took the fight to the Anderson and dominated the opening five minutes to take the first round. With Weidman on top, Anderson looked to up the ante in the second, but after just 76 seconds disaster struck when the champion checked a leg kick. Anderson’s left tibia shattered on impact with a deafening cracking sound and the Brazilian slumped to the mat. Weidman initially celebrated, but once he realized the extent of Silva’s injury he, like the rest of the MMA world, watched on concerned as Anderson was stretchered out of the Octagon and into the back of an ambulance.
The injury saw Anderson spend over a year on the sidelines and with a subsequent record of 1-4 (1 NC) it was arguably the end of his time as a top middleweight contender.
Marvin Eastman: eyebrow cut vs Vitor Belfort – UFC 43
“Big” John McCarthy has pretty much seen it all when it comes to incidents inside the Octagon, so when he says that Marvin Eastman’s cut was the worst he’s ever seen, you know it’s got to have been bad.
Eastman took on Vitor Belfort at UFC 43 in a light heavyweight bout that barely made it out of the first minute. With Belfort coming off the back of a loss to Chuck Liddell at UFC 37.5, the Brazilian knew he had to make a big statement and he did exactly that.
The fight started out at a plodding pace with both men feeling each other out. It was only a matter of time, however, before Belfort sprung into life and with a minute on the clock, the Brazilian thwarted a takedown attempt before getting Eastman in the clinch. Following two solid knee strikes to the head, Eastman dropped to the mat and Belfort rained down blows until McCarthy stopped the fight.
Only when Eastman was on his feet could fans see the full extent of the deep, wide gash that ran from his left temple to the bridge of his nose. Legendary cutman, Jacob “Stitch” Duran described it as the “biggest f***ing cut I've seen in my life.”
Mike Perry: broken nose
vs Vicente Luque – UFC Uruguay
Nobody ever doubted the toughness of “Platinum” Mike Perry, but a lot of fans found a whole new level of respect for him following his fight with Vicente Luque at the UFC’s first-ever event in Uruguay.
Coming off the back of a hard-fought ‘Fight of the Night’ win over Alex Oliveira earlier in the year, Perry promised to hand the Brazilian his first loss in over two years, but it wasn’t to be.
Perry and Luque went at it across three relentless rounds in a fight where neither man seemed to take a step back. With the fight too close to call and heading into the final minute, Luque threw a knee that connected flush on Perry’s nose. The American amazingly caught the Brazilian’s leg and took him to the ground, but the damage had already been done.
With blood streaming from Perry’s nose and cuts on his face, Luque desperately looked to finish the fight sinking a deep guillotine choke. Perry somehow survived over 40 seconds with the hold applied and the extent of his heroics became even more impressive once the time had elapsed.
Once on his feet, it became evident that Perry’s nose had been completely shattered. There’s been many a broken nose in the history of the UFC, but very few, if any, like the one Mike Perry suffered in Uruguay.
‘Cyborg’ Santos: skull fracture vs Michael Page – Bellator 158
Michael “Venom” Page’s highlight reel isn’t short of knockouts but his flying knee against Evangelista Santos at Bellator 158 in London, England has to go down as his finest ever.
From the outset of the bout, it was clear Page wanted to put on a show and he ducked, dived and shimmied his way around the cage looking for an opening against the heavy-hitting Brazilian. The second round looked to be drawing to a close as Santos swung and missed with another heavy blow, but, as he stepped in, Page responded with a beautiful flying knee which connected flush with the Brazilian’s forehead.
Santos immediately hit the mat writhing in pain and the fight was called off just seconds later. Page celebrated by throwing a Pokémon ball at the Brazilian who was being treated by medical officials, but had he known his opponent had suffered a fractured skull it’s unlikely he would have responded in the same way.
Santos required a seven-hour surgery to fix the multiple fractures in his skull and he announced his retirement just five months later. The image of Santos’ caved-in skull remains one of the most shocking sights ever seen in an MMA cage.
Matt Mitrione: eye injury
vs Travis Browne – UFC FN 81
Matt Mitrione had possibly the worst night of his career when he took on Travis Browne at UFC Fight Night 81 in January 2016. The two hard-hitting heavyweights went toe-to-toe at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts on a night when Lady Luck certainly wasn’t smiling on the former NFL player.
Mitrione suffered two eye pokes during the opening rounds and from there on out the momentum swung in the direction of Browne who didn’t fail to capitalize. In the third round, Browne ended the fight after he landed a big cross to the eye that had received both pokes and slammed Mitrione to the ground where he finished him with strikes.
Two days after the bout, Mitrione posted photos of the gruesome eye injury on social media and explained that he’d suffered a broken orbital. He then turned fans’ stomachs again when, a day later he posted another video of him getting his eyelid drained.
Mitrione did return to the cage just five months later, but the fight with Browne was the last on his UFC contract and he signed for Bellator shortly afterwards where he has remained to this day.
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira: broken humerus
vs Frank Mir – UFC 140
Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira walked into his UFC 140 rematch with Frank Mir looking for revenge, but he ultimately left with his arm badly broken.
Mir had previously defeated “Big Nog” via second-round TKO at UFC 92 and was looking to put himself in line for a UFC heavyweight title shot with a second win over the Brazilian in December 2011.
Both men knew there was plenty on the line and during the early stages of the fight, Nogueira looked to be in control as he knocked Mir down to the mat and swarmed him with heavy shots from the top. The Brazilian then looked to lock in a guillotine choke, but Mir expertly transitioned and rolled through into a kimura that the Brazilian had no hope of escaping.
Despite his predicament, Nogueira refused to tap and Mir proceeded to break his arm causing a complex fracture to his humerus and handing the Brazilian his first-ever submission loss.
Days after the fight, Nogueira underwent surgery and had 16 screws inserted into his arm. Despite the seriousness of the injury he returned to the Octagon just ten months later at UFC 153 and defeated Dave Herman.
Corey Hill: broken leg
vs Dale Hartt – UFC: Fight For The Troops
Corey Hill’s encounter with Dale Hartt was only an undercard bout on the UFC’s “Fight for the Troops” event in December 2008, but it will forever remain etched in UFC history following its horrific ending.
Hill looked to be in control of the fight after dominating the opening round, but the tide turned early in the second when Hill made a low kick at Hartt. The kick was checked like it was nothing special, but Hill's shinbone snapped in half on impact and he crumbled to the mat as he attempted to return to his fighting stance with his leg in two pieces.
Joe Rogan screamed at the referee from the commentary booth to stop the fight, which he did only 20 seconds into the second round. Hill fractured his tibia and fibula, and slightly less importantly lost the fight due to the break. He later underwent surgery where a rod was inserted into his leg and held in place with pins at the ankle and the knee.
Hill’s rehab was expected to take up to 18 months, but he returned to the cage just 13 months later in January 2010 and miraculously won when he defeated Jason Trzewieczynski via unanimous decision at Raging Wolf 6.
Leslie Smith: exploding ear
vs Jessica Eye – UFC 180
The women’s bantamweight bout between Leslie Smith and Jessica Eye at UFC 180 ended in the most unpredictable fashion when Smith nearly had her left ear ripped clean off her head.
Smith’s issues started in the first round when Eye landed a hard punch to the ear and a large gush of blood shot up from the side of her head and splattered all over the Octagon. A closer inspection showed Smith’s ear was split wide open with half of it already detached from her head. Doctors allowed Smith to continue into the second round, but when she took further punishment to the ear, referee Herb Dean stopped the bout.
In the immediate aftermath, Smith protested Dean’s decision claiming she could have fought on. She later, however, realized the seriousness of the injury and praised the referee for potentially saving her ear which later required a one-hour surgery to stitch back together.
Following the bout, Smith received a 50-day injury suspension but ended up spending over 16 months on the sidelines after she underwent knee surgery.
To this day, Smith’s exploding ear remains one of the best examples of why all fighters should drain their cauliflower ears.
Tim Sylvia: broken arm
vs Frank Mir - UFC 48
All fighters are tough, but Tim Sylvia showed a different level of toughness when he faced Frank Mir at UFC 48.
Sylvia took on Mir for the vacant UFC heavyweight title in a fight that ended in bizarre circumstances.
Less than one minute into the first round, Mir trapped Sylvia's right arm in an armbar submission attempt and as Sylvia attempted to escape his right radius bone snapped three inches below his elbow.
Referee Herb Dean immediately stopped the fight and declared Sylvia unable to continue. Sylvia took exception to the decision and repeatedly claimed his arm was not broken, even though the break could be explicitly seen on the slow-motion replay of the fight. With the fans in the arena booing, Sylvia went as far as touching and moving his arm around to try and demonstrate he was OK.
Sylvia was taken to a local hospital where an x-ray later revealed that his arm was in fact broken. Reflecting on the fight just days later, Sylvia admitted that he was glad the referee stopped the fight, as it saved his arm from further damage.
Sylvia returned to the cage just six months later but had a titanium plate placed in his arm to aid his recuperation.
Mark Hominick: hematoma
vs Jose Aldo – UFC 129
Mark Hominick's display of heart, grit and determination in front of his hometown fans was nothing short of incredible.
The Canadian took on Jose Aldo for the UFC featherweight title at UFC 129 and somehow survived an early onslaught to go the distance with the formidable Brazilian who was defending his title for the first time.
The fight still lives long in the memory of fans worldwide not just because of Hominick’s bravery, but because of the horrible-looking, baseball-sized hematoma that puffed above his right head just seconds after he took a punch and a forearm from Aldo while on the ground. “Big” John McCarthy paused the bout to have the bump checked by the cageside doctor, but after a brief pause in the action, the fight continued and Hominick took Aldo the full 25 minutes.
Such was the size of the hematoma, UFC color commentator Joe Rogan described it as a “second head” and few could disagree with his assessment.
Hominick went on to fight later that year at UFC 140 against Chan-Sung Jung, but he retired the following year after losing four on the bounce and never returning to the form that saw him earn a UFC title shot.
Robbie Lawler: split lip
vs Rory MacDonald - UFC 189
The contest between Robbie Lawler and Rory MacDonald will forever be remembered as one of the greatest fights in UFC history and it’s fair to say that both men left the Octagon that night changed forever.
Lawler and MacDonald went to war with the UFC welterweight title on the line in a contest that swung one way and then the other multiple times. Amazingly, boos rung around MGM Grand Garden Arena following the first round after both men exercised caution in the opening five minutes, but after that it was non-stop action and neither man took a backward step.
After nearly being finished in the previous round, Lawler’s relentless jabs eventually broke MacDonald down and he finished him in the fifth round with just one minute on the clock. It was then during the aftermath and post-fight interview that the damage to Lawler’s lip fully came to light.
Lawler’s lip had been badly split and nauseatingly flapped whenever he spoke on the microphone. It was a graphic scene, but he battled through it and even gave a passionate speech about how he was a true fighter who would never back down. With half of his lip flapping off the side of his mouth as he spoke, no one dared disagree with him.
Jon Jones: broken toe
vs Chael Sonnen – UFC 159
Jon Jones’ injury at UFC 159 was unique for that fact that very few people even knew it had happened until after the fight was over.
Jones defended his UFC light heavyweight title against Chael Sonnen in the main event of the evening and it looked like he did so with relative ease, controlling the fight from start to finish. Jones finished Sonnen towards the end of the first round when he pinned him against the cage and struck him with multiple shots before the referee called off the fight.
After celebrating and having his hand raised, Jones then had his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan in the Octagon and it was only then that it was brought to Jones’ attention that his toe was pointing the wrong direction with the bone sticking out.
When the injury actually happened still remains unclear, but it’s suspected that at the two minute 30-second mark Jones snapped his big toe when he planted his foot and pushed off his big toe.
Whilst the sight of Jones’ toe broken in half turned many a stomach on the night, the injury did little to slow Jones down that year and he competed again just five months later when he defeated Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 165.
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