LAS VEGAS – There were a pair of notable transports to the hospital following Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 82: Noad Lahat and Alex Nicholson.
Thankfully, the fighters escaped without serious injury. UFC Senior Director of Public Relations Dave Sholler updated the fighters’ conditions at the post-event news conference at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Featherweight Lahat (9-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) spent several minutes on the canvas after he was knocked unconscious by a flying knee from Diego Rivas (7-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) on the FOX Sports 1-televised preliminary card. It was a bad knockout, but the fighter was cleared of serious injuries by doctors after multiple tests, said Sholler.
It was the second time Lahat was knocked out by a flying knee after his 2014 debut against Godofredo Castro.
In his UFC debut, light heavyweight Alex Nicholson (6-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) did not escape unscathed, suffering a fractured jaw when caught in a face crank from Misha Cirkunov (11-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC) in the second round. Nicholson had previously broken his jaw, according to UFC commentators.
The injury will require surgery for Nicholson, Sholler confirmed.
It was an unpleasant start to the newcomer’s UFC career after he proposed to his girlfriend at the event’s weigh-ins.
And despite suffering a TKO loss to Stephen Thompson (12-1MMA, 7-1 UFC) in UFC Fight Night 82’s headliner, ex-welterweight champ Johny Hendricks (17-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC) made an appearance at the press conference and appeared no worse for the wear, targeting an August return.
For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 82, check out the UFC Events section of the site.
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