5 most gruesome injuries UFC fighters suffered in 2021
MMA is a brutal sport and there's no better place to witness this than in the UFC. Mixed martial artists spend their lives training to get the better of their opponents, even if that means rendering them unable to fight. It should not come as a surprise, therefore, that UFC fighters get injured inside the octagon often.
However, some injuries are so dreadful that it makes one weak in the knees solely by watching. One doesn't need to be reminded of Anderson Silva's horrific leg-break or even Alistair Overeem's nasty lip-tear. Conor McGregor summed it up aptly when he said at UFC 264, "it's a mad business."
In this article, we look at five of the most gruesome injuries UFC fighters suffered in 2021 alone.
#5. Tony Ferguson's knee pops at UFC 262
Tony Ferguson suffered his third straight defeat after losing 30-27 to Beneil Dariush in a unanimous decision at UFC 262. But it wasn't a normal loss for 'El Cucuy', who's known to be mentally unbreakable.
Ferguson was dominated by Dariush throughout the fight, getting outworked in both striking and grappling. But the most painful moment came when Ferguson was held deep in an inverted heel hook to which he refused to tap. Impressive as it may be, it did carry a price: his knee.
There is absolutely zero quit in Tony Ferguson! 😳
El Cucuy showed once again at #UFC26 that he is an absolute warrior. https://t.co/FykAQuiHBv
Despite being in a position where any other fighter would've tapped, Tony Ferguson refused to give up. Explaining what happened after his submission attempt at UFC 262, Beneil Dariush said:
“It popped! I looked at him [Tony Ferguson] and then he started kicking me and went back to normal. And I was like ‘man, he’s not human.’ Tony is not human."
The former UFC interim lightweight champion later gave an update on his injury and stated there was only a "slight sprain" and no tear.
“Slight Sprain 🙏No Tear” Faith, Family, Friends & Crew🍃 Rest, Recover, Repeat x 3 ⛳️ Let’s🥇Go- Champ 🚣♂️ -CSO- 🇺🇸🏆🇲🇽 # Active🔛Rest Two Weeks Baby!!! 🧢 ⚾️ -XTA2- Home👨👩👦👦team 🐾🐾🐾🦎🦎🐠🐠🐟 🇺🇸🏆🇲🇽 # Beyond🙏Blessed 🕊One. https://t.co/rSP1pxljUz
Slight sprain or not, it was one of the nastiest injuries of 2021 in the UFC.
Watch Beneil Dariush describe Tony Ferguson's injury below: