SUMMARY
- Back in September 2022, Gregory Rodrigues featured in the co-main event of UFC Vegas 60.
- Chidi Njokuani landed a knee right in between Gregory's eyebrows, which made a nasty-looking cut on his face.
Combat sports such as Muay Thai, boxing, and Jiu-Jitsu are not for the faint-hearted. And that is completely true. While martial arts aim at building respect between two fighters inside the arena, it sure seems fun to watch people fight. Fighters throwing spinning back fists and locking in armbars might look exciting, but it is not the nicest feeling when a fighter sustains an injury.
UFC is one of the largest MMA promotions all around the world. And it has consistently been on top for more than two decades now. But what makes its fights so exciting is that it ticks off the biggest box in the business. That of having big-name fighters. Some fans enjoy a tactical fight between two master grapplers and, other times, a duel between two expert strikers.
Fights at this level of grandeur and intensity often have an extreme and graphic side to them. One never knows the amount of punishment a fighter might sustain once he or she steps inside the octagon. Injuries are always around the corner. Some are more extreme than others. But one injury stands out amongst others when we talk about perhaps the most graphic and bloody injury in UFC history.
Gregory Rodrigues’ gruesome injury at UFC Vegas 60
Back in September 2022, Gregory ‘Robocop’ Rodrigues featured on the co-main event of UFC Vegas 60. The Brazilian fighter was up against the American Chidi Njokuani at the UFC APEX performance center in Las Vegas, Nevada. While Rodrigues did go on to win the fight eventually, the fight isn’t particularly remembered for his win.
Quite early on in the fight, in what was essentially the first exchange of the fight, Robocop endured a deep cut. Njokuani landed a knee right in between Gregory’s eyebrows, which made a nasty-looking cut on his face. With blood gushing right out and it seeming like the referee might end the fight, Robocop’s cut-man was put to the test.
Gregory Rodrigues. uffffffffffffffffff ahí se puede meter tres dedos#UFCVegas60 https://t.co/xovaAMUx4g
— 𝑬𝒍𝑪𝒉𝒆𝒅𝒅𝒂𝒓 𝑴𝑴𝑨 (@cheddarfran) September 18, 2022
And he delivered temporary measures that proved to be effective. Rodrigues fought through the blood and pain and delivered a TKO over Chidi Njokuani in the second round of the fight. The gravity of the injury was later revealed to the world. Dana White posted a before-and-after image on his Instagram to show the world how gruesome the injury was.
In retrospect, Gregory Rodrigues’ grisly injury might be one of the worst in UFC history. It has been over a year and a half since that event.
5 other times fighters sustained injuries that are disturbing to watch
5. Robbie Lawler and Rory MacDonald
If fans had to pick out one fight from UFC’s entire history to be titled ‘Bloodiest UFC fight ever’, the majority of the fans would pick this one. At UFC 189, over 8 years ago, Robbie ‘Ruthless’ Lawler, the UFC welterweight champion, defended his belt against Rory ‘Red King’ MacDonald. The fight was so bloody that by round 4, both fighters looked unrecognizable.
Robbie Lawler and Rory MacDonald went to war 5 years ago today at UFC 189 pic.twitter.com/ZCLwr5EjRM
— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) July 11, 2020
Rory had his nose literally smashed in, while Robbie had a vicious cut on his upper lip. And blood streamed down their faces and all over their bodies. In round 5, after a straight punch to the face right onto MacDonald’s nose, Lawler retained his title. It was one of those fights where the crowd felt horrified for either fighter.
4. Alistair Overeem
In 2019, with a 2-fight win streak behind him, Alistair Overeem took on Jairzinho Rozenstruik in hopes of booking a berth for a rematch for the heavyweight title against Stipe Mioicic. Instead, he endured one of the most graphic injuries in the UFC ever. In the dying moments of the 3rd round, Jairzinho landed a flush right hand, cutting open Overeem’s upper lip and winning via TKO.
3. Marvin Eastman
Over 20 years ago, Marvin Eastman made a forgetful debut in the UFC against former UFC Heavyweight Champion, Vitor Belfort. In the opening exchanges of the fight, Marvin Eastman had his forehead just above the right eyebrow split open owing to the Brazilian’s powerful knee. The referee simply called off the fight as blood gushed all over the place.
The cut on Eastman’s forehead seemed nothing short of disastrous and is often regarded as one of the biggest cuts in MMA history.
2. Chris Weidman
Chris Weidman, the former UFC Middleweight Champion, saw his leg break in half in a horrifying fashion when he took on Uriah Hall at UFC 261.
The grisly incident took place just 17 seconds into the fight when Weidman attempted a high-power leg kick, which landed on Hall’s knee, breaking his shin in half and causing immense agony. The sound of the shin breaking makes it even more unwatchable.
1. Anderson Silva
In his rematch against Chris Weidman at UFC 168, Anderson Silva met the same fate Weidman would 7 years down the line. One of the greatest things to ever do was to be left writhing in pain after his leg was broken in half in the first round. When an uncharacteristically early leg kick from Silva landed right on Weidman’s knee.
The visual of Silva, considered by many to be one of the best, lying in pain made a lot of fans grimace. These two straight losses to Weidman were what further made Anderson’s career spiral downward, with only one win coming off his next seven fights. However, these are five of the most disturbing injuries in UFC history. Do let us know in the comments below who should be added instead of these fighters.