UFC fighter Steven Nguyen left his opponent Mohammad Yahya with gruesome injuries as he claimed a historic victory at UFC Abu Dhabi on Saturday.
The two featherweights clashed in a prelim battle at the Etihad Arena but it was Nguyen, a product of Dana White‘s Contender Series, who etched himself into octagon history.
The 32-year-old knocked down his rival six times, smashing the record for total number of knockdowns in a single fight in the championship’s history.
The previous record of five was shared by Jeremy Stephens (who defeated Gilbert Melendez in 2017) and Forrest Petz (who defeated Sammy Morgan in 2006).
However, shockingly Yahya managed to bounce back from every single one – at a cost.
Yahya, who was fighting in front of a home crowd in the UAE, was left disfigured by the hammering at the hands of Nguyen.
Steven Nguyen smashed the UFC’s knockdown record with his win over Mohammad Yahya
Nguyen left Yahya disfigured with a gruesome eye injury during the bout at UFC Abu Dhabi
In addition to the bloodied cuts littering his face, the Emirati fighter also suffered a hematoma – a closed wound where blood collects outside of vessels – which caused his left eye to swell, forcing it shut.
Thankfully for him, referee Jason Herzog and doctors ultimately put an end to his pain, handing the victory to Nguyen by doctor’s stoppage in the second round.
However, some MMA fans felt the stoppage didn’t come soon enough as they slammed Herzog for not intervening.
Herzog needs to be fired that’s not a beating that’s a life changing injury,’ one fan account posted on social media. ‘[…] Hopefully yahya gets better and Jason gets f****n fired.’
‘Damn did the ref bet decision or something this is crazy,’ another questioned.
‘Jason Herzog watching Steven Nguyen drop Yahya 6 times in Round 1 and still not stopping the fight,’ wrote a third alongside of a GIF of Dolph Lundgren’s character Ivan Drogo saying, ‘If he dies, he dies,’ from the film, ‘Rocky IV’.
‘Herzog is in a ‘if he dies he dies’ mood,’ another echoed, also referencing the famous movie quote.
Meanwhile, one fan claimed that ‘the referee should be fined and jailed’ as they replied to a photo of Yahya’s gruesome injury.
Yahya was knocked down six times before referee Jason Herzog finally called a stoppage win
Saturday’s triumph marked Nguyen’s first victory in the UFC after signing a contract in 2023
Yahya, who staggeringly managed a knockdown of his own in the round, had stumbled to the corner after round one, having to be dragged to his stool by his cornerman.
As he sat in his corner the horrific swelling was evident, forcing Herzog and medics to step in.
Saturday’s triumph marked Nguyen’s first victory in the UFC after signing a contract with the company in 2023. He lost his debut in his lone 2024 appearance.
‘I’ve been working so hard for this moment. It’s finally here,’ Nguyen said afterwards. ‘The fight’s not over until it’s over. I came into UFC 0-1 and I come back and I wanted that finish. Here we are now.’