The Worst Injuries In Mixed Martial Arts

The Worst Injuries In Mixed Martial Arts

Combat sports are no stranger to injuries, and this is certainly true of mixed martial arts. While the current rules do a much better job of protecting fighters from serious injuries, bruises, bumps and cuts are part of the journey for an MMA fighter. Usually those types of injuries are as bad as it gets, but there are some classic examples of truly horrific injuries at MMA bouts.
Randy Couture is an MMA legend with plenty of wins to his credit. However, many of these bouts pale in comparison to his fight in 2007 against Gabriel Gonzaga. During Round 3 his heavyweight fight at UFC 74, Couture put his arm out to block a kick from Gonzaga, thus snapping Couture's left ulna. Despite this, Couture simply used his other arm, threw his opponent down and punched him until the referee stopped the fight and Couture won by TKO.
Frank Shamrock is a name that typically conjures up strong feelings in the MMA world, and there are several fighters out there who have walked away with broken bones after a bout with Shamrock. During a Pancrase fight in 1995, Shamrock grabbed Allan Goes by the ankle and broke the bones, literally tearing the ankle bones from the tendons. Goes still fought on, however, and the bout was declared a draw. Three years later, Shamrock effectively ended Igor Zinoviev's career after he threw him down, badly breaking his collarbone. A decade later, Shamrock was on the receiving end of a bone break when Cung Le broke his ulna.
Mixed martial arts is known for bloody bouts, and as we all know, head wounds do tend to gush. Rarely is there a fight without at least a little blood, as that is just a consequence of this type of fighting. Some cuts are worse than others, such as the sliced open face of Joe Stevenson during UFC 80 after BJ Penn hit him with an elbow sharper than a knife. That was a fairly quick repair, with just a few stitches, which is far less than Nate Quarry required after a bout with Jorge Rivera at UFC Fight Night 21. After losing by TKO, Quarry actually had to endure full facial reconstructive surgery to repair his broken nose and four facial fractures.
The Corey Hill-Dale Hart battle at the UFC Fight for the Troops Show in 2008 also goes down in infamy for one of the most horrible visuals in MMA. Hill was just a few minutes into the bout when he kicked at Hart's leg. Hart blocked the kick with his knee, snapping the bone in two and literally leaving the bottom half of Hill's leg dangling. Hill did return to the fighting in 2010, so sometimes even the worst looking injuries won't end a career.
Obviously, many of the injuries listed above are fairly unusual; there are hundreds of bouts every year that don't end up with more than minor cuts and bruises. There are ways, in general, to help prevent severe injuries during fights. The healthier you are both physically and mentally, the better you will be able to move around the ring and fight. You also need to work on your stretching, as properly stretching will improve your overall flexibility and decrease the risk to your neck and shoulders. In addition, severe weight cuts can damage your muscles, leaving them more susceptible to injury.
They say you are what you eat, and a warrior needs to have a healthy diet in order to remain strong. In addition to having the fight skills and strong mental focus, your diet should be a key component to your life as a fighter. If possible, find a sports nutrition expert and draw up some diet plans to help keep you on the right track. Improving your skills as a fighter is another way to lessen your risk of injury. The better you are at anticipating your opponent's next move, the easier it will be to avoid kicks and punches. When you are in control of the fight, your risk of getting hurt is significantly lower than if you are scrambling against an opponent.