One of the hottest UFC prospects was stretchered out of the arena after a 'freak injury' and elbow strike finish
- Sean O'Malley suffered a "freak injury" midway through the opening round of his bantamweight match against Marlon Vera on Saturday.
- From that moment on, he was at a considerable disadvantage in the fight and lost after brutal ground-and-pound.
- O'Malley, considered by the UFC to be one of the company's hottest prospects, was wheeled out of the arena on a stretcher and would have received medical attention.
- Because of the bizarre nature of the loss, defeat here will unlikely de-rail his status as an up-and-comer.
One of the hottest UFC prospects was carried of the arena on a stretcher after getting injured and then finished with elbow strikes after a bantamweight match.
Sean O'Malley headed into his behind-closed-doors UFC Apex on Saturday against Marlon Vera with an unbeaten record.
During the virtual media day earlier in the week, O'Malley told reporters he was visualizing a similar career trajectory to superstar fighters Conor McGregor and Israel Adesanya. A UFC promo compared the 25-year-old to Khabib Nurmagomedov and even NBA players Luka Doncic and Russel Westbrook.
The American did not begin the fight injured and was able to throw good kicks to Vera's leg in the first, but switched stance midway through the round as he appeared to roll his ankle, seemingly injuring himself for the rest of the fight.
The ESPN MMA reporter Brett Okamoto called it a "freak injury" on Twitter and MMA Fighting said it was "bizarre."
Sensing an opportunity, Vera finished the fight that round with brutal ground-and-pound which featured punches and elbows.
O'Malley was wheeled out of the arena on a stretcher to receive medical attention.
Despite Vera snapping O'Malley's undefeated run, the loss — depending on the severity of the injury — will unlikely de-rail the up-and-comer too much.
Meanwhile, the Ecuadorian advanced his record to 16 wins (six knockouts, eight submissions, and two decisions) against six losses.
"If you find the right coaches and you put the right in, your technique will be high level," Vera said post-match. "I try personally to be a high-level black belt, a high-level wrestler, and a high-level striker.
"I'm in good spirits, I'm a person that works hard for me, for my family, for my country and when you work the way I work, your dreams come true."
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