UFC is no stranger to violence, being a combat sport and all. The amount of damage sustained usually stays low if wrestling, grappling and BJJ are involved. However, in old-school brawlers, the damage can get brutal. A similar incident was seen in Rafa Garcia’s recent fight.
UFC Vegas 66 saw lightweight Hayishaer Maheshate and Rafa Garcia put their skills to the test. Lightweight is considered the most stacked weight division in the UFC. So any fighter willing to make a statement has to bring his best in the octagon.
And boy did both warriors bring the fight! The first round saw both fighters go back and forth landing some good shots and combos. The second round is when the issues began. In the middle of exchanges, Hayishaer managed to land a brutal elbow to Garcia’s head.
Immediately the Mexican fighter’s head saw a gruesome cut and he began bleeding viciously. The amount of blood kept rising as the fight went on and Rafa could no longer maintain his stand-up composure. This is when the Mexican fighter utilized his grappling skills and took Maheshate down.
Garcia managed to maintain ground control for the next two rounds as he could no longer stand and bang. All this time, he was bleeding all over the octagon. The commentators were getting worried as they called for a stoppage but the referee did not pay any heed and continued the fight.
Finally, the fight went to a decision and the victory was handed to Rafa. He was immediately attended by the doctors who had to put in nearly 15 stitches on his head during a span of 2 hours to stop the bleeding. Fans and fighters alike had strong reactions to the incident.
Rafa Garcia had a cut artery on his head. It took the UFC medical staff almost two hours to get it to stop bleeding. He is ok now đđœ #UFCVegas66 pic.twitter.com/YoIv6cjzBi
â Cub Swanson (@CubSwanson) December 18, 2022
Brutal cut via elbow strike – Rafa Garcia vs Hayisaer Maheshate #UFCVegas66 #ufc pic.twitter.com/oRztMn94MN
â Mike The Clown Jackson (@izzysrighttit) December 18, 2022
Rafa Garcia said on the UFC post fight show that the medical staff told him he lost 20 percent of his blood after that cut on the side of his head nicked an artery, which caused the excessive bleeding.
Thankfully, he’s all good now.#UFCVegas66
â Damon Martin (@DamonMartin) December 18, 2022
