- This might be a contender for one of the worst combat
sports injuries of the year. MMA fighter Willem Smith broke his leg at an EFC 92 MMA event held earlier this month.
The nastiest leg break of the combat sports year so far took place during an Extreme Fighting Championship Worldwide (EFC) event held at the EFC Performance Institute in Johannesburg on March 5.
A heavyweight bout involving Ivan Strydom and Willem Smith, which introduced a 12-bout MMA card, ended midway through the first round because of injury.
Smith threw a right kick low, to the outside. But the technique Strydom used to block the attack, by planting his foot firmly to the ground, ensured Smith suffered far more damage from the kick.
Dubbed "The Viking," the South African mangled his bone as soon as his leg connected with Strydom's.
He dropped to the floor in agony. Strydom showed restraint by not pouncing on the stricken fighter and hitting him with shots until the referee intervened. He simply walked on by, instead.
It was clearly already over. Strydom had won.
Smith was put on a stretcher, taken for medical treatment, and appeared to give a thumbs-up backstage.
See images of Smith's break right here:
—EFC Worldwide (@EFCworldwide) March 5, 2022
Leg breaks caused by checked kicks remain rare in MMA, but there have been notable examples in recent years, suggesting it can be an increasingly dangerous move to attempt in the modern era.
Anderson Silva famously broke his leg against Chris Weidman in 2013 while throwing the same kick, as did Uriah Hall when he tried to leg kick Weidman, last year.
[WARNING: GRAPHIC FOOTAGE] Watch footage of Smith's break here:
—EFC Worldwide (@EFCworldwide) March 5, 2022
"I can just be very glad for all the support," Smith said Wednesday, four days after his horrific break. He then thanked the organization for helping its athletes.
"Just to see how they worked it out, from the time I left the cage to the time I stepped into this hospital … with the amount of money they're supplying, I can just be grateful.
"The orthopedic surgeon did say this is a bionic leg at the moment," he continued. "Therefore I'm feeling sorry for the man who's going to check these kicks in the future.
"But, otherwise, the leg will be much stronger afterward. It's just a matter of getting used to it."
As for whether the injury will bring his fighting career to an end, Smith said: "I can still go. As long as I can throw a punch, or a kick, or throw an elbow, or a knee, I'm not backing down."
—EFC Worldwide (@EFCworldwide) March 9, 2022
EFC Worldwide returns for its next show, EFC 93, on April 9.