T.J. Waldburger transported to hospital following violent UFC 166 loss

HOUSTON – Following an especially vicious knockout loss at UFC 166, T.J. Waldburger was transported to a local hospital for evaluation.

However, the fighter, who was taken from Houston’s Toyota Center on a stretcher following a first-round loss to fellow welterweight Adlan Amagov, was “responsive and alert,” a UFC official told MMAjunkie.com.

Waldburger’s manager, Audie Attar of Paradigm Sports Management, subsequently tweeted that the fighter is OK: “Just spoke to @TJWaldburger at the hospital and he’s doing fine. The CT scan came back clear and he’s feeling better now. #UFC166?

UFC officials later announced the fighter had been discharged from the hospital just a few hours later.

Waldburger (16-8 MMA, 4-3 UFC) and Amagov (13-2-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) competed in the night’s fourth fight, which streamed on YouTube and Facebook ahead of the night’s broadcasts on FOX Sports 1 and pay-per-view.

Waldburger, a nearly 2-1 underdog in the fight, ate a spinning back kick to the rib section before a series of punches put him on the mat. However, before referee Jay Stafin could halt the bout, Amagov unloaded a few heavy followup punches on the already-dazed Waldburger.

The stoppage earned quick indictment from UFC President Dana White. As he wrote on Twitter: “That ref sucks!!!!!”

Waldburger, a Texas-based submission specialist, was on a 3-1 run before the knockout loss, which was his first since a TKO defeat to Johny Hendricks in early 2011. It was the sixth knockout loss of his eight-year career.

For complete coverage of UFC 166, check out the UFC Events section of the site.

(UPDATED on 10/19/13 at 8:45 p.m. ET with update from Attar.)