UFC Vegas 77: Istela Nunes suffers serious injury 34 seconds into her first round bout

Istela Nunes, a women's strawweight, dislocated her elbow during the opening round of her fight at UFC Vegas 77 on Saturday in Las Vegas, sending shouts of pain reverberating throughout the cage. Viktoriya Dudakova, an unbeaten fighter, was Nunes' opponent, and sadly for the Brazilian, things quickly became worse.

Early on, the two exchanged blows before Dudakova took Nunes down by grasping her left ankle. Nunes attempted to defend herself by falling back onto her left arm, but it startlingly buckled under her, causing her to scream in pain. It became evident that Nunes' elbow was severely dislocated as she screamed more. As the referee rushed in, Dudakova retreated after realising the severity of the injury.

‘Who would have thought I could break arms without even wanting to do so?’ - Viktoriya Dudakova

In just 34 seconds, the match was deemed to be finished, and Dudakova was given the first-round TKO victory. Unfortunately for Nunes, this was her fourth UFC defeat in a raw, and she now faces a complete cut. UFC CEO Dana White posted an image of Nunes' X-ray on social media following the fight. Despite the absence of a formal medical diagnosis, the scan seems to depict a full elbow dislocation.

The MMA world reacted swiftly to the horrific injury, with numerous competitors sending their best wishes to Nunes. 'Ohh I feel so bad for Istela Nunes. Especially because I think that was her last chance to prove that she deserves her spot in UFC. I hope she will get another chance,' wrote Diana Belbita on Twitter. 'I hope she heals quickly. I hate to see that,' wrote Cody Durden.

Dudakova addressed the situation during her post-fight conversation with Daniel Cormier after the premature end to the bout. 'I wanted to fight. I wanted it to be a longer fight. Unfortunately, who would have thought I could break arms without even wanting to do so?  I was ready one hundred percent. I really wanted to have a great scrap, but really I wanted to finish it in the first round. So, everything is God's will.'