FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. -- The bumps and bruises piled up Wednesday during the UFC's sixteenth installment of its "Ultimate Fight Night" series, which was subtitled "UFC Fight for the Troops."
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| Hill's broken tibia may keep him sidelined for 12-18 months. (UFC) |
As far as fight cards go, UFN 16 potentially set the record for gruesome injuries in one night. However, no injury may have been more serious than the one Corey Hill sustained during an undercard matchup with former Naval veteran Dale Hartt.
Hill, a 6-foot-4 lightweight competitor, threw a leg kick during the opening seconds of Round 2. Hill's rail-thin legs could not withstand the force of the impact with Hartt's own leg.
Hill crumpled to the ground and Hartt then proceeded to pounce on the helpless fighter by following him to the mat looking for the finish. Not completely aware of the severity of Hill's injury, the referee had to step in to break up the exchange.
Once Hartt was stood up, the live crowd at the Crown Coliseum was able to get a better look at the dilapidated condition of Hill's right leg with the referee finally calling a stop to the fight.
A replay was briefly shown during Hartt's postfight interview so that the crowd could ascertain just what exactly happened. Also, still photos taken at cageside showed Hill's leg bent on an angle that caused his leg to resemble a hockey stick.
Once the fight was stopped, officials rushed into the ring to attend to Hill. The show was delayed for approximately 20-25 minutes while medical personnel placed Hill's leg in an immobilizer, administered a pain-killing injection on the spot, and placed him on a stretcher.
Afterward, CBSSports.com overheard a medical official with the North Carolina Boxing Commission indicate that Hill had suffered a broken tibia and that he was scheduled to undergo emergency surgery. It is believed that Hill's recovery could take between 12-18 months.
In addition to Hill, Razak Al-Hassan, Brandon Wolff, Jonathan Goulet, and Yoshiyuki Yoshida all sustained serious injuries that required medical attention.
Al-Hassan made his UFC debut against fellow Octagon newcomer Steve Cantwell in a bout that aired during Spike TV's special three-hour telecast of the event. After exchanging punches and kicks, the fight eventually found its way to the ground where the Iowa-based fighter found himself trapped in an armbar submission courtesy of Cantwell.
Refusing to tap, Al-Hassan rolled into the submission, which only prompted Cantwell to apply even more torque on the elbow. The elbow became bent at such an acute angle that referee Mario Yamasaki stepped in to call a stop to the fight at 4:04 of Round 1 even though Al-Hassan had not submitted. Cantwell was announced the winner of the fight via TKO by way of referee stoppage.
While Al-Hassan was walking past media row on his way to the backstage area, a large mass could be seen near his elbow on his right arm. The mass appeared to be the size of a softball. An immediate diagnosis was not available, but it's possible that Al-Hassan had suffered a broken arm and that the mass was possibly tendon that had dislodged from bone and rolled up into his arm.
