5 Worst Injuries in UFC History (Photos)

Injuries are commonplace in MMA, but some stand out more than others. The UFC, in particular, has had its fair share of fight-ending injuries, some of which will make you wince.

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Let’s look at some of the worst injuries in UFC history. Be warned, some of these are not for the faint of heart.

5 Worst UFC Injuries

Frank Mir Submissions

Former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir was a menace with his submissions. The grappling specialist earned roughly 50 percent of his victories by submission, but none were worse than his arm breaks against Tim Sylvia and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.

Mir defeated Sylvia by armbar for the title in 2004. Keen-eyed referee Herb Dean called the fight after noticing Syliva’s arm snapping during the submission.

Four years later, Mir wrenched Nogueira’s arm with a kimura to end the fight at UFC 140.

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Devin Clark Having his Bottom Gum Rearranged

Devin Clark vs. Ion Cuteleba in 2021 saw one of the most cringeworthy injuries unfold. After a 15-minute brawl with Cutelaba in the night’s co-main event, Clark exposed his bottom lip to reveal that his gumline had been broken and pushed back.

Clark lost the decision against Cutelaba and fought five more times in the UFC.

Ramiz Brahimaj’s Ear Falling off Mid-Fight

Ramiz Brahimaj’s 2020 UFC debut couldn’t have been more unfortunate. In the third round, Brahimaj took a solid elbow from his opponent, Max Griffin, which practically exploded his left ear.

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The referee intervened immediately after Brahimaj’s ear flopped by the wayside; the broadcast team was appalled. He lost the fight by TKO (Ear Injury) and is still fighting for promotion in 2024.

Joanna Jedrzejczyk Forehead Hemotoma

Jedrzejczyk before & after fighting Zhang.

Taking part in the greatest women’s title fight in UFC history took a toll on Joanna Jedrzejczyk. Her 25-minute firefight with Weili Zhang at UFC 248 was overshadowed by a unique injury that left her almost unrecognizable.

Zhang’s relentless offence caused a massive hematoma on Jedrzejczyk’s forehead, which grew exponentially as the fight continued. She saw the final bell, but her injury will go down in the annals of UFC history.

McGregor / Silva / Weidman Leg Snaps

Coming in at No. 1 is a three-in-one. Anderson Silva’s second fight with Chris Weidman in 2013 made for one of the most gruesome in-fight injuries in MMA history. Weidman checked Silva’s low leg kick, and the shin-on-shin collision snapped Silva’s shin entirely in half. To make matters worse, Silva stepped back on the snapped limb afterwards.

Anderson Silva broken leg — Silva snapping his leg against Weidman’s check.

Weidman completed the leg-snapping saga in 2021 when he perfectly recreated the injury against Uriah Hall. It was arguably more brutal, coming 15 seconds into the first round and by the audible snap that could be heard throughout the arena.

UFC superstar Conor McGregor was also a victim of a broken tibia in the concluding moments of his trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier at UFC 264. He hasn’t fought since.