UFC Vegas 97 fighter rushed to hospital after grotesque eye injury, manager says "he still cannot open his eye"

A UFC fighter's return to the octagon didn't go according to plan as he suffered a gruesome eye injury at UFC Vegas 97. The fighter's manager revealed that he was rushed to the hospital as he was still unable to open his left eye.

The fighter in question is Rong Zhu, who squared off against Chris Padilla in a lightweight bout at UFC Vegas 97 this past weekend at the promotion's Apex facility in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Zhu made his octagon debut at UFC 261 in a unanimous decision loss against Kazula Vargas in 2021. The 24-year-old was later released from the promotion following a third-round submission loss against Ignacio Bahamondes at UFC Vegas 49 in 2022.

However, a year later, Zhu participated in the Road To UFC competition, winning three straight fights to earn a UFC contract.

Meanwhile, Padilla made his octagon debut at UFC Vegas 91 with a first-round submission win over James Llontop. The American fighter was riding a four-fight win streak going into UFC Vegas 97.

In the second round of their fight, Padilla delivered a vicious right elbow to Zhu's left eye, which swelled up instantly. This forced the referee to call in the ringside side doctor, who concluded that the bout could no longer continue. As a result, Padilla was declared the winner via TKO despite Zhu's protests about the stoppage.

Check out the post below (via MMA Mania on X):

MMA journalist Alex Behunin recently took to X and shared a major update on Zhu's injury. Following UFC Vegas 97, officials from the organization confirmed to MMA Mania that the Chinese fighter was sent to the nearby hospital to have his face scanned.

The 24-year-old's manager also confirmed that the fighter sustained multiple fractures and was unable to open his eye, saying:

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''He [Rong zhu] still cannot open his eye.'' [H/t: MMA Mania]

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