Joanna Jedrzejczyk suffered a brutal head injury in her thrilling UFC 248 showdown with Weili Zhang in Las Vegas.
Both women were taken to hospital after a breath-taking strawweight title bout that UFC president Dana White described as ‘one of the best fights I have ever seen’.
Champion Zhang secured a split decision win over Jedrzejczyk, who fell just short in a bid to reclaim the title she once held for over two years.
While the card’s main event title fight between Israel Adesanya and Yoel Romero fell desperately short of expectation and was frequently booed by the Las Vegas audience, Jedrzejczyk and Zhang put on a kickboxing clinic at the T-Mobile Arena.
A huge hematoma emerged on Jedrzejczyk’s head during the third round – a clear and obvious target for Zhang who landed a straight right onto it in the fourth.
The swelling significantly worsened as the contest reached its thrilling conclusion with Jedrzejczyk bravely battling through.
“This was bothering me. (I tried to fight through it), but it was getting more and more swollen,” Jedrzejczyk said.
"It doesn't matter, I carry myself as a champ with the belt or without. I was very proud of her, congrats Weili."
