The lightweight main event between contenders Rafael Fiziev and Mateusz Gamrot ended badly earlier tonight (Sat., Sept. 23, 2023) at UFC Vegas 79 live on ESPN+ from inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, when “Ataman” injured his left knee during a hard right kick. He was unable to continue and Gamrot walked away with the TKO win (knee injury and punches).
This headliner started the way most fight fans expected it to. Fiziev was able to use quick twitch reactions and great scrambling skills to stay on his feet and land some good strikes on Gamrot. “Gamer” was relentless, though, and began to work in his wrestling towards the end of the first round.
Fiziev was able to regain some momentum early into the second and was looking to track Gamrot down. During a hard right kick that ended up being blocked by Gamrot, Fiziev blew his left knee out. Fans initially thought Fiziev hurt his right leg from the block, but he threw the strike so hard that the torque was enough to pop his left knee. It was pretty gnarly.
This obviously wasn’t the outcome Gamrot was hoping for, but a win is a win when you’re competing against the best in the world. It’s unknown at this time what type of recovery Fiziev will face coming off this injury.
Check out the full fight video highlights below:
For complete UFC Vegas 79 results, coverage, and highlights click HERE.
This story originally appeared on MMA Mania
