10 Times bones were snapped in MMA
On a recent episode of the Joe Rogan Experience, the UFC's longtime commentator said that mixed martial arts is much more than a sport. His words couldn't have been truer. Just training for MMA is self-flagellation, but which other "sport" leaves its athletes with broken bodies and blood-drenched faces?
Mixed martial arts is a duel between the fearless. It takes immense strength of will for fighters to master their emotions and remember that regardless of the damage they absorb, they're in a game of human chess. And most of the time, they do.
We've heard many tales of fighters suffering broken bones early in fights and still soldiering on. But sometimes, even the hardiest of fighters suffer injuries so frightening that fights have been stopped to save them from further harm or they are left screaming in agony. Here are some of those instances:
#10 Jose "Pele" Landi-Jons snaps his lower leg in two
Jose "Pele" Landi-Jons made his MMA debut in August 1993 - that's even before UFC 1! The Brazilian Chute Boxe is a veteran of 45 fights and despite all of them being in smaller promotions, he has crossed paths with noted UFC fighters and even knocked out Matt Hughes early in the UFC Hall of Famer's career.
In February 2008, Landi-Jons faced American Brian Gassaway at TKO 32 in Montreal, Canada. A minute into the second round, the Brazilian threw a leg kick that was checked by Gassaway and his shin split in two. The fight was immediately called off. Landi-Jons took more than a year off but made an impressive comeback, winning six of his next eight fights.