5 Most Gruesome Injuries in MMA History

There are often violent knockouts and painful submissions in MMA fights, but some have resulted in extraordinary and gruesome injuries. These injuries all put the injured party out of action for a lengthy period and had the potential to end careers.

Let’s take a look at the five most gruesome injuries in MMA history. These are the rare and freak occurrences that can turn the stomach of even the hardened combat sports fan and leave us all at the edge of our seat.

Some injuries to just miss the cut in our Top 5 include: Ronda Rousey v Meisha Tata 1 (Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey - broken arm), Matt Mitrione v Travis Browne (UFC FN 81), Frank Mir v Tim Sylvia 1 (UFC 48 - broken arm), Jessica Eye v Leslie Smith (UFC 180 - exploding ear), Marius Zaromskis v Kazushi Sakuraba (Dynamite 2010 - ear falling off), Vitor Belfort v Marvin Eastman (UFC 43 - huge cut above the eye), Jose Aldo v Mark Hominick (UFC 129 - huge forehead swelling/hematoma)

#5 Frank Mir v Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira 2

When these two storied heavyweight grapplers met at UFC 140 fans were expecting some great grappling but what transpired exceeded all expectations. Mir was a former UFC heavyweight champion while Nogueira was a former Pride heavyweight champion, two of the premier heavyweights of the previous decade meeting was always going to be fun.

They stood for less than a minute before Nogueira initiated a clinch and after a couple of minutes of clinching, Nogueira began to land big elbows and then landed hard punches that rocked Mir when they separated.

Mir shot for a takedown and Nogueira attempted a guillotine. Mir would escape and get on top and he then locked in a kimura on Nogueira, the Brazilian legend refused to tap until his arm broke.

Nogueira suffered a break to his right humerus and was out for ten months. He won his return fight via armbar against Dave Herman.

#1 Michael Page

Michael Page is known as an explosive and flashy striker so a violent knockout is not too unexpected. In London at Bellator 158 “Cyborg” Santos was able to contain Page for a round, but when he shot for a takedown in the second round Page met him with a flying knee to the head.

Santos went down writhing in agony and the fight was stopped, Cyborg had a massive dent in his forehead and had suffered a cracked skull. He had a long surgery that week that was successful and he expressed his intention to continue fighting but in January 2017 he announced that he would be retiring from the sport as he did not want to risk his health any further.

#3 Chris Weidman v Anderson Silva 2

Before he fought Chris Weidman, Anderson Silva was the most dominant fighter in the sport. He was on a 17 fight winning streak and had made 10 successful title defences during his reign.

Weidman was the undefeated challenger who had beaten Damien Maia and Mark Munoz to earn a shot at Silva. In their first meeting, Weidman won by knockout after catching Silva while he was taunting, but their second fight ended in even more extraordinary circumstances.

Weidman began the fight well and rocked Silva in the opening round and landed hard ground and pound shots. Early in the second round Silva threw a leg kick but Weidman checked it and took it on his shin, breaking Silva's left fibula and tibia.

Silva was in a lot of distress in the octagon and it is a sight that lives long in the memory. He had surgery to repair the leg and made his comeback 13 months later in a fight with Nick Diaz and would emerge victorious in a decision, although the fight would later be ruled a no contest due to Silva failing a drug test.

#2 Shinya Aoki v Mizuto Hirota

Aoki is a feared submission specialist, and he broke the arm of Keith Wisniewski from a standing position in only his fifth fight. He beat fighters such as George Sotiropoulos, Joachim Hansen, Gesias Cavalcante, Caol Uno and Eddie Alvarez and in 2009 he was at the peak of his powers.

Aoki, the Dream lightweight champion, took on Mizuto Hirota, the Sengoku lightweight champion on New Years Eve 2009. Aoki shot for a takedown immediately and eventually got it up against the ropes.

He proceeded to grab Hirota’s right wrist behind his back and hold it with his right hand, when he got Hirota’s back he moved the arm further up his back and eventually when Hirota rolled and tried to relieve some of the pressure, Aoki broke the arm.

Aoki then gave the middle finger to Hirota as he lay there, and then ran around the ring, giving the middle finger to the crowd as well. This wasn’t the last time that Aoki would use the middle finger to celebrate a submission as he taunted the crowd and his opponent Yuki Yamamoto after he submitted him in 2014.

Hirota was out of action for 16 months and returned in August 2011 to beat Katsunori Kikuno via decision. He is now in his second UFC stint.

#1 Dale Hartt v Corey Hill

Dale Hartt and Corey Hill meet on the preliminary card of UFC: Fight for the Troops in 2008. Hill competed on Season 5 of The Ultimate Fighter and was submitted by Nate Diaz but he did enough on the show to earn a shot in the UFC.

He had a win and a loss in the UFC going into his third fight in the promotion against Dale Hartt, who had a 5-1 MMA record but had lost his UFC debut. In the second round Hill threw a kick but broke his right leg.

His leg bent at a horrible angle, and like Silva, he fractured his tibia and fibula. He made his comeback 13 months later and picked up a win. Hill tragically passed away, aged 36 in 2015. After battling pneumonia he suffered a collapsed lung and a heart attack on May 15th.

Edited by Staff Editor