Akira Corassani’s Nose Broken in Five Places Following Illegal Knee from Maximo Blanco

Maximo Blanco thought he had scored a quick, first-round stoppage of Akira Corassani at The Ultimate Fighter 18 Finale on Saturday night in Las Vegas, but that was before he realized the knee he drove into Corassani’s face was illegal.

Blanco dropped Corassani, and as the Swedish fighter was trying to get up and regain his footing, Blanco blasted him with a knee to the face. The only problem was that Corassani still had a hand and a knee on the canvas, making Blanco’s attack illegal.

Corassani sat on the canvas for several minutes, doctors deeming him unfit to continue, and for good reason. His nose was broken in five places, and he suffered a concussion.

“Broke my nose in 5 places which was not as bad as the concussion from the knee,” Corassani posted on Facebook on Sunday. “The dizziness got worse gradually and I was rocked as hell.

“Truthfully I dont remember much but this was not the way I wanted to win, I was more than ready for this fight and due to a stupid move the fight was ruined. Thanks for all your support and I’ll be back soon!”

The fight was stopped 25 seconds after it began. Blanco was disqualified, giving Corassani the victory, albeit not the way he wanted it.

(Photo courtesy of Akira Corassani)

Like MMAWeekly.com on Facebook and Follow @MMAWeeklycom on Twitter.