Heavyweight fan favorite Chris Barnett suffered an unfortunate leg injury during introductions earlier today (Sat., Oct. 26, 2024) at UFC 308 live on ESPN+ pay-per-view (PPV) from inside Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE, leading to a first-round TKO loss at the hands of former light heavyweight Kennedy Nzechukwu.
Barnett, who was coming into this fight off a TKO win over Jake Collier back in Sept. 2022, was a massive underdog for his return to the cage. The stocky heavyweight is fresh off an injury to his achilles in which he returned to training in just three months. It’s unknown at this time if that injury lead to another one for Barnett at UFC 308.
During his UFC 308 introduction, Barnett jumped up and slammed his feet onto the Octagon canvas. His face went from excited to worried in a matter of seconds as he clearly hurt his leg. The veteran fighter toughed it out and still began his fight opposite Nzechukwu. Unfortunately, Nzechukwu feasted on the immobile Barnett and teed off along the cage. Barnett swung for a few final Hail Mary punches before toppling over and having the referee step in.
Check out the video highlights below:
Chris Barnett did not learn from Brian Ortega’s mistake pic.twitter.com/UlbQYAnTOp
— MMA Mania (@mmamania) October 26, 2024
Kennedy Nzechukwu stops Chris Barnett in his heavyweight debut #UFC308 pic.twitter.com/9eVAnqRfT9
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) October 26, 2024
While this is an unfortunate result for Barnett it’s a tremendous heavyweight debut for Nzechukwu. The former light heavyweight had posted a 6-5 record in the UFC’s 205-pound division since his debut back in 2019, but this change to heavyweight could be a good move for the towering finisher.
For complete UFC 308 results, coverage, and highlights, click HERE.