Ismael Bonfim was transported to a hospital following his UFC Vegas 102 defeat to Nazim Sadykhov on Saturday night, but exams showed no serious injuries to his face, MMA Fighting has learned.
The cageside doctor stopped the bout after Bonfim complained he couldn’t see out of his right eye after the opening round due to cuts opened by a question mark kick to the face. Sadykhov was awarded the TKO victory and improved to 3-0-1 under the UFC banner.
Bonfim’s coach and brother Odair Bonfim told MMA Fighting Ismael is “fine”, and the injuries were only cuts and no fractures. The UFC fighter took to social media to share an update Sunday morning.
“Thank God I’m fine,” Bonfim said. “I did some exams on the eye and head and it’s all right. It’s just a cut here [on the cheek] and the eyelid. I couldn’t see properly and the doctor decided to stop the fight.”
Bonfim, now 20-5 as a professional, dropped to 2-2 under the UFC banner after the first TKO defeat of his career.
“The strategy was working, I was confident and feeling well, imposing my game my rhythm,” Bonfim said. “But let’s not take anything away from my opponent, it was a beautiful kick that caught me right on my face [laughs].”
