UFC’s Most Shocking Injuries: Moments That Made Fans Gasp

Some people could consider mixed martial arts to be one of the most physically perilous and demanding sports in the world. As such, the UFC has had its share of really shocking injuries over the years. Such injuries have made an impact not only on the fighters but also on the fans, commentators, and the sport itself. Some fighters may still accept the fact that stepping into the Octagon brings with it some potential injuries, but in most instances, they happen to be very serious and are considered some of the defining moments in UFC history. This article takes a look at some of the most shocking injuries in UFC history, laying out how they happened, what effect they had on the fighters in question, and their place in the sport.

1. Anderson Silva Leg Break vs. Chris Weidman (UFC 168)

One of the most infamous injuries in the history of the UFC happened at its 168th event in 2013 with a much-anticipated rematch for the UFC Middleweight Championship when Anderson Silva went up against Chris Weidman. In that fight, Silva sought to regain his title taken from him by Weidman earlier that year in what turned out to be one of the sport’s biggest upsets to date.

Midway through the second round, Silva threw one of his patented kicks that he is known for—the kind where it lands on an opponent’s thigh. However, Weidman checked the kick by raising the shin, which led to a terrible injury. On impact, Silva’s leg snapped, both at the tibia and fibula areas. The break was so ghastly that he fell straight to the canvas in agony, and the fight was stopped right there and then, making it a TKO victory for Weidman.

As Silva was falling, he bent his leg so far; it’s one of the ugliest moments in UFC history. The injury was so gruesome that it evoked stunned silence from fans and commentators alike, and the visual of him being carried out of the Octagon on a stretcher became one of the most enduring visuals of the sport.

Silva went under the knife to repair the broken leg and eventually returned to active duty in the Octagon, but he was never quite like his old self as a fighter again. A moment like that was one in which it was broken, and although he went on to continue fighting, there were certain performances of dominance from past times that he would never be able to recreate as a star.

2. Corey Hill’s Leg Break (UFC Fight Night 16)

Before the Anderson Silva leg break, there was another fighter who suffered an equally shockingly devastating injury that shook the MMA world. Corey Hill fought as a lightweight combatant against Dale Hartt in 2008 for UFC Fight Night 16. Throwing an early second-round leg kick that Hartt checked led to the terrible break of Hill’s right leg.

Both Hill’s tibia and fibula snapped when he hit, and instantly, he fell to the mat in clear agony. The condition was gravely serious as the bout had to be stopped there and then by the referee, and the hurting Hill was hurried to hospital for an emergency surgery. Now, fans look on in disbelief, mixed with a little bit of disgust, as they see his leg bending in an unnatural way.
The injury derailed Hill’s MMA career, as he was forced to undergo multiple surgeries and an extended recovery period. He finally made a comeback to the sport, but could never regain that momentum built up prior to the injury. Hill’s breaking his leg is remembered as one of the most memorable and unfortunate injuries in UFC history.

3. Frank Mir Breaking Tim Sylvia’s Arm (UFC 48)

The fight was held at UFC 48 in 2004 between Frank Mir and Tim Sylvia for the vacant UFC Heavyweight Championship. Mir, known for his submission skills, didn’t take too long before attempting to wrestle the match to the ground. Early in the first round, Mir secured an armbar on Sylvia. What comes next, one of UFC’s most surprising moments, happens.

As Mir cranked on the armbar, Sylvia’s forearm snapped, and a loud crack echoed throughout the arena. Though his forearm was broken, Sylvia first acknowledged that he wouldn’t tap out, so referee Herb Dean called a stop to the action. Sylvia protested the stoppage, saying that he didn’t know his arm was broken, but whatever: Mir was your victor via TKO.

When Sylvia refused to tap and ended up breaking the arm because of it, it was one of the defining moments in UFC history. It was brutal to see, and this action showed again just how tough these athletes are. Sylvia finally had surgery to repair the broken arm and returned to fighting, but the event is still one of the moments in UFC history where people shudder.

4. Randy Couture’s Severed Ear (UFC 102)

This was one of the respectful well-seasoned fighters in the sport back in 2009 at UFC 102, with the name Randy Couture, fighting in the heavyweight against Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. It had turned into another instance of one fighter beginning to higher another heavy exchange of fighters. What made this fight memorable is the fact that Randy Couture came out with a partially severed ear.

In the clinch, Nogueira landed a punch that exploded Couture’s cauliflower ear. Years of wrestling and MMA wear and tear left Couture’s swollen, deformed ear gushing with blood and partially detaching from his head.

This was certainly not one of the most serious injuries for a fighter to face, although it was distinctly unsettling visually and seemed to underscore just how potentially damaging MMA can be to the body. Couture, like the professional he is, fought on, although he ended up losing the bout by unanimous decision. His ear turned into a metaphor for his tenacity in the Octagon.

5. Alistair Overeem’s Lip Injury (UFC 218)

Alistair Overeem, the hard striker in the heavyweight division, experienced a worrying injury during the match against Francis Ngannou at UFC 218 in 2017. Supremely renowned for his ridiculous knockout power, Ngannou truly had devastating force as he landed a blistering uppercut in the cranium of Overeem, leaving him face-first on the mat, out cold, and suffering from a deep laceration on his upper lip.

The blow not only dropped Overeem but also split his lips in a manner almost reminiscent of something from a horror movie. It was awful, his face almost pulling into two at that lip, an injury which took many stitches to correct. Undoubtedly, one of the most jaw-dropping: moments of the year, the knockout and subsequent injury brought the picture of Overeem’s lip to worldwide status. Although Overeem recovered from the injury and continued competing in the UFC, that loss to Ngannou is one of the most brutal knockout finishes he has withstood.

6. Injury to Leg Luke Rockhold – UFC 221

When UFC former middleweight champion Luke Rockhold took on top contender Yoel Romero in the eagerly anticipated co-main event during the fight; Romero landed some hard-nasty leg kicks that inflicted some significant damage on Rockhold’s leg. Then, in the third round, Romero was able to follow up those brutal leg strikes of his with a mean left that initially put Rockhold out, although it was more his leg post fight that everyone was focused on.

Rockhold’s leg was really grotesquely swollen and often bruised, so much so that after the event, there were actually reports stating that he did, in fact, pick up a serious hematoma due to the kicks from Romero. It was so bad that he couldn’t walk straight in the several days following the fight and had to see a doctor to have a subsequent hematoma drained in his leg.

While not as visually shocking as some of the other injuries on this list, Rockhold’s leg injury was a reminder of the devastating impact that leg kicks can have in MMA. The injury also hastened Rockhold’s decision to take an extended break from competition to recover and reevaluate his career.

7. Robbie Lawler’s Lip Injury (UFC 189)

Robie Lawler’s fight with Rory MacDonald at UFC 189 in 2015 was immediately one of the most-cited greatest fights in UFC history. The welterweight title match was a vicious five-round war of attrition in which both participants looked bloodied and battered as they staggered out of the Octagon. Among the most brutal moments of the back-and-forth battle was when Lawler suffered a compound fracture in his upper lip.

It was during that scuffle that MacDonald connected with a series of punches that had split open Lawler’s lip. The injured lip seemed very much injured and had been torn to almost apart from how blood was completely oozing from the wound. With such a wounded lip, however, there was great determination enforced by Lawler for the fight. He managed to win the fight in the fifth round by TKO after breaking MacDonald’s nose with a punch.

Combined with the iconic picture of Lawler’s split lip is of him facing through the end of the fourth round. In combination, the two became an iconic image in MMA history. His toughness and refusal to tap out against a grotesque injury pretty much cemented him as one of the sport’s most durable fighters of that time.

8. Frankie Edgar’s Eye Injury (UFC Fight Night 57)

In one such instance, the rugged, tough Frankie Edgar sustained a ghastly injury to an eye while squaring it up against Cub Swanson for UFC Fight Night 57 in 2014. Surely, it was unintentional, a mere poke in Swanson’s eye, but it was Edgar who’ll have in actuality the worst of the ordeal.

In the last round of the fight, the left eye of Edgar was just closed. He can somehow see what’s going on, but it is too little because his eye was shut badly by the end of the match, but finally through a submission victory at the closing stage of the fifth round.
The injury was a testament to Edgar’s toughness and ability to overcome adversity in the Octagon. However, it also served as a reminder of the dangers of eye injuries in MMA, as even a seemingly minor incident can lead to significant damage.

9. Matt Mitrione’s Eye Injury (UFC Fight Night 81)

In January 2016, in a fight that had everybody up on their feet as Travis Browne locked horns with him in a match against heavyweight Matt Mitrione, he was left with one of the most shocking eye injuries in UFC history. Mitrione, however, continued to fight and run the risk of further problems.

He ended up with the eye swelling shut after the first round. By the end of the fight, his eye was grossly swollen and almost closed. The damage was so huge that Mitrione had to undergo immediate surgery to repair the injury.

In all reality, the entire event was very controversial. En masse, fans and commentators alike were at that time of the belief that the fight should have actually been stopped earlier in behind the degree of the injury. The eye injury that befell Mitrione remains one of the horrible and memorable moments focusing on the dangers of eye pokes in mixed martial arts that remains in company history.

10. Michael Bisping’s Retina Injury

Michael Bisping, a former UFC Middleweight Champion, retired with one of the most severe eye injuries ever. This injury happened to him when he went up against Vitor Belfort in an encounter in 2013. Vitor Belfort performed a head kick action that automatically detached Michael Bisping’s retina, causing permanent damage to his right eye. The injury was so severe that Bisping went on to have several surgeries and his vision was damaged in the right eye for the rest of his fighting career.

He continued to fight with the injury but at least he could continue in the topmost echelons of his sport, and ended up winning the UFC Middleweight Championship during 2016. Bisping’s injury is a real testament to his grit and, at the same time, a cautionary tale about the risks of head injury in MMA. The injury forced Bisping to adjust his style and training and remains one of the sport’s most notorious injuries.

Conclusion
Over the years, the UFC has been peppered with shocking injuries, each serving to remind us of the risks involved in MMA competitions. Trained fighters do handle hardships, but there are indeed injuries so drastic that they rise to be defining moments in their careers and, certainly, to the fullest. The result: not only the fighters but also the fans and the sport at large. From Anderson Silva’s fractured leg to Michael Bisping’s detached retina, most of the injuries highlighted in this article are top-ranked in UFC history. They show how tough and resilient the fighters are but also the dangers that come within competing in Octagon competition. The sport is ever-changing to better protect fighters, and ways to reduce the risks of severe injury yet ensure fighters can compete remain priorities.