UFC Vegas 97 turned out to be an engaging night with some high-level MMA action. It included some controversies along the way. As expected, the night saw its share of brutal injuries with Chris Padilla‘s vicious TKO win over Rong Zhu. Padilla landed a perfect elbow, which left the fans of the fight in awe. However, UFC fans will have a bad taste behind due to the injury that followed.
The main card of UFC Vegas 97 had some incredible bouts. On the same card, Padilla and Rong Zhu fought each other in a high-octane lightweight fight. Both fighters started cautiously in the first round, with Rongzhu initiating the attack. He landed some heavy kicks and punches, which put Padilla on the backfoot.
However, in the second round, Padilla bounced back with some accurate strikes, but the Chinese fighter didn’t fall back easily. During an exchange, Padilla landed a nasty blow that connected above the left eye of Rong Zhu. This caused the eye to swell immediately, prompting the ringside doctor to intervene. The damage is extreme.
Rongzhu thought it was an eye poke as those are very common in the world of mixed martial arts. After a brief check, the doctor called off the bout due to the severity of the injury. Padilla extended his UFC winning streak after his debut victory over James Llontop. Padilla has two finishes in the promotion, making him one of the new exciting talents on the UFC roster.
Fight fans react to Rong Zhu’s brutal injury from Chris Padilla’s nasty elbow
While most UFC fighters are experts in one aspect of MMA, the community really appreciates complete fighters. In his earlier UFC fight, Chris Padilla showed his wrestling. This time, he surprised everyone with his striking. Padilla talked about his game plan in the octagon interview and how he carefully landed that elbow.
Fight fans react to Chris Padilla’s elbow strike which caused a brutal injury to Rong Zhu’s eye (via X)Padilla mentioned that he’s the ‘best MMA’ fighter in the world and is dangerous both on and off the feet. The lightweight division is known for being the most competitive, and it will be interesting to see how the fighter navigates his way to the top. Nevertheless, here are some reactions to the nasty elbow and injury;
Yeah when it feels like a poke, that usually means a small piece of bone broke off at least, and maybe more.
— Yeti-San MMA (@YetiSanMMA) September 7, 2024
Love him calling out the strike too like yeah that’s right sir
— Mr. Ed (@VeNGNCE) September 7, 2024
I feel bad for that man’s eyeball imagine getting elbowed right on the bare ball and creating that massive lump, jesus
— Monric 🇧🇷 (@MonricOW) September 7, 2024
bro got eye-poked by an elbow lmao
— Jaguardo Montego-Pierre (@JaguardoMontego) September 8, 2024
Eye injuries like this are rare but brutal, and many UFC fighters have suffered this. Many fans believed that it was one of the most brutal eye injuries they had ever seen. Some fans credited Padilla for his incredible striking prowess. On the other hand, fans also showed sympathy for Rong Zhu for suffering a potentially life-altering injury.
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