5 weirdest pre-fight injuries in UFC history
Over the 28-year history of UFC, there have been some truly bizarre incidents and injuries that have forced fights to be called off.
While a few have happened the day before the event, others occurred just a few hours before the bout and one even happened while the fighter’s opponent was already in the octagon.
From bus attacks and slips backstage to serious medical emergencies, here are the five weirdest pre-fight injuries in UFC history.
#5 Stefan Struve
Stefan Struve is the tallest fighter ever to fight in the octagon. The giant fought 24 times in UFC before retiring this year.
He was forced to put his MMA career on hold in 2013 when it was discovered he had a serious heart condition. After getting treatment and passing the necessary tests, Struve resumed his fighting career.
The Skyscraper was scheduled to fight Matt Mitrione at UFC 175 in July 2014. However, just moments before the bout, he fainted in the dressing room due to an elevated heart rate. He was rushed to hospital and the fight was canceled.
#4 Ray Borg
Former UFC Flyweight Title challenger Ray Borg was set to face Brandon Moreno at UFC 223 in Brooklyn New York. Unfortunately, Conor McGregor had other ideas.
After the UFC 223 media day had finished, the fighters had boarded a bus to leave Barclays Center. Suddenly Conor McGregor appeared with a group of guys behind him to confront Khabib Nurmagomedov.
McGregor ended up throwing a dolly through the bus window, injuring several UFC staff and fighters. One of those injured was Ray Borg.
He spoke to Ariel Helwani on "The MMA Hour" about the incident.
"I wiped my eyes, and the glass went right onto my face. My eye was a little irritated, but I didn't really think much of it. And it wasn't until later that day that the small shards and particles of glass that were on my cornea were what really caused the irritation," said Borg.
Borg was forced to withdraw from the fight due to an injury to his eye.
#3 Jamall Emmers
One of the strangest incidents to ever happen at an MMA event took place at UFC Fight Night 185 in February 2021.
Featherweight Chas Skelly entered the octagon before his scheduled bout with Jamall Emmers. As Skelly was standing in the cage awaiting his opponent’s arrival, the fight was called off.
Backstage, Emmers suffered back spasms and was unable to make the walk to the cage. It was the first time in UFC history a fight had been canceled with one fighter inside the octagon.
#2 Kevin Randleman
Heavyweight Champion Kevin Randleman went down in UFC infamy for his pre-fight injury at UFC 24 in March 2000.
Randleman was to defend his title in the main event against Brazilian Pedro Rizzo. However, before the bout, while warming up he slipped on some pipes backstage and knocked himself out.
He was taken to the hospital and was diagnosed with a concussion. Randleman became the first UFC fighter to be knocked out before his fight in the octagon.
#1 Robert Whittaker
Australian UFC Middleweight Champion Robert Whittaker was set to defend his title in front of his hometown fans at UFC 234 in Melbourne.
The highly anticipated bout with America’s Kelvin Gastelum was expected to be an all-action affair.
On the day of the fight, Whittaker woke up with severe stomach pain and was rushed to hospital. The Australian fighter was diagnosed with an abdominal hernia and a twisted and collapsed bowel.
Even after this serious diagnosis, Whittaker still wanted to fight. He underwent surgery that day and the main event was canceled.