5 UFC fights that ended prematurely due to injury
UFC fighters, as do all mixed martial artists — and indeed all combat sports athletes — undergo grueling physical experiences. They train as hard as any athlete in the world, exposing their bodies to demands that most people can't grasp.
While this enables mixed martial artists to get into the kind of shape needed to not only strike, wrestle, and grapple, but to simultaneously engage in those facets of unarmed combat under a unified fighting system.
Doing so, however, comes with costs. When fighters aren't being knocked unconscious, choked out, or having their joints fractured, they're sustaining freak injuries.
At times, these injuries happen during training camps prior to scheduled fights. In rare moments, however, injuries take place at UFC events, ending fights in anticlimactic and occasionally shocking fashion.
Brian Ortega's loss to Yair Rodriguez at UFC on ABC 3 is the most recent example. This list details five different UFC fights that ended prematurely due to injuries sustained by fighters.
#5. Jose Aldo vs. Chan Sung Jung, UFC 163
In the first half of the 2010s decade, there was enormous interest in seeing Jose Aldo face Anthony Pettis. For many, it was a dream matchup. Aldo was riding a 15-fight win streak that included victories over the likes of Chad Mendes and Frankie Edgar as he mounted title defense after title defense.
Anthony Pettis, however, was a former WEC lightweight champion in hot pursuit of the UFC lightweight title. Regarded as one of the most exciting strikers of the time, 'Showtime' had earned a shot at UFC lightweight gold.
Unwilling to wait, Pettis chose to challenge Aldo for the featherweight title. While UFC President Dana White agreed to the matchup, it was not to be.
PIC: Jose Aldo climbs out of the cage to celebrate as the Korean Zombie holds his injured shoulder. http://t.co/chv1beJEtw
Pettis suffered a devastating knee injury and had no choice but to withdraw from the bout. He was replaced by Chan Sung Jung, a heavy-handed striker with an iron chin and slick submission game. On a three-fight win streak, 'The Korean Zombie' challenged the Brazilian legend at UFC 163.
When the two finally clashed, Aldo's superiority was clear. The Brazilian won every round, but as the fight entered the championship rounds, he began to tire and the momentum slowly swung in Jung's favor.
Unfortunately, fight fans were robbed of a thrilling ending to the matchup when Jung separated his shoulder while throwing an overhand right.
With his shoulder dislocated, 'The Korean Zombie' was heavily compromised and the fight was stopped soon afterward as Aldo swarmed him. Unable to defend himself, Jung turtled while grasping his injured shoulder before Herb Dean stepped in to call an end to the bout.