When Jessica Penne had to get nose surgery after fighting Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC Berlin
Jessica Penne got her shot at the UFC strawweight title fight after defeating Randa Markos in the TUF 20 Finale by way of a split decision.
She faced then-champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC Fight Night 69, also dubbed UFC Berlin, on June 20, 2015.
Jessica Penne lost the bout via TKO following a flurry of punches and a knee against the fence at the 4:22 mark of the third round. Despite getting her nose busted open by Joanna Jedrzejczyk in the second round, Jessica Penne refused to go down without a fight.
But the bleeding mess her face was left in made her an easier target for the champion, who landed the finishing knee on Penne's face along the cage.
Penne needed nose surgery done after the injury, which kept her out of the octagon for a whole year.
Watch the highlights of the fight below [The nose break is at the 3:20 mark]:
Jessica Penne needed septoplasty nose surgery
The way Jessica Penne's face looked by the end of the fight left many concerned about her wellbeing.
Here is a comparison posted on Sherdog forum of how Jessica Penne's face looked before and after the nose break.
However, she later clarified that there were no serious issues and only cosmetic damage.
"It was just cosmetic damage. I had bruising and swelling and my nose was broken, but my nose breaks kind of every fight. It’s hard to fight when you’re not able to breathe and get that recovery," Jessica Penne said. [Via MMA Junkie]
Following the fight, Jessica Penne had to get septoplasty surgery done on her nose. Ahead of her UFC 199 fight with Jessica Andrade, Penne said in an interview with Ariel Helwani that she required surgery going into the fight.
"Yeah, it's pretty difficult. I broke my nose in the fight and I could not overcome it. I had a lot of trouble breathing in the fight and it just got further and further away from me. But I have got it taken care of and I'm back and I'm focused on my fight on Saturday," Jessica Penne stated.
She also said in the interview that she never went back and watched the fight herself, but her coaches did.
Jessica Penne secured a first-round armbar submission victory at UFC 265 against Karolina Kowalkiewicz.
In the post-fight interview, an emotional Jessica Penne said she was happy to be in the octagon and hopes to make the best of every opportunity.