Fight fans got more than they bargained for earlier tonight (Sat., July 15, 2023) at UFC Vegas 77 live on ESPN/ESPN+ from inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, when women’s strawweight prospect, Istela Nunes, snapped her elbow 34 seconds into the first round and filled the Octagon with screams of pain.
Nunes was facing Octagon newcomer Viktoriya Dudakova, who brought in a lot of hype from the Russian MMA circuit. Dudakova was able to rush in quickly and began to take Nunes to the ground. As Nunes was falling to the mat she posted on her arm and her elbow bent the wrong way. She immediately cried out in pain as the referee noticed the injured arm and moved in for the stoppage. Nunes kept wailing as ringside officials rushed in to her aid.
Check out the final moments below:
REALLY BAD INJURY ALERT
debut injury win for Dudakova over Nunes #UFCVegas77 pic.twitter.com/ShN2J2fPCc
— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) July 16, 2023
BRUTAL #UFCVegas77 pic.twitter.com/iUvUVIa2nI
— danawhite (@danawhite) July 16, 2023
This isn’t the way Dudakova wanted to make her Octagon debut, but she does walk away with the TKO victory. After all, it was her takedown attempt that led to Nunes’ arm breaking and the reason why we’ll all have nightmares tonight.
For complete UFC Vegas 77 results, highlights, and overall coverage click HERE.