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One of the big highlights on the undercard of UFC 294 was supposed to be a prelim fight between Javid Basharat and Victor Henry. A fast rising prospect, Basharat has looked like a possible future contender in the bantamweight division so far. Henry, on the other hand, is a battle tested vet with years of experience on the regionals and a well put together, high volume striking game. All the right pieces for a great war in the Octagon.
Unfortunately, that’s not what fans ended up with. After one back and forth round of simmering action, Basharat came out early in the second and aimed a low kick at Henry’s upper thigh. Only ‘La Mangostra’ was stepping forward at the time. Longtime MMA fans will know how that ended.
Victor Henry unable to recover after brutal low blow at UFC 294
Despite getting a full five minutes in the cage to try and get his bearings back, UFC 294’s Victor Henry couldn’t come close to recovering. His reaction surprised some, given that there were no clear angles that caught the full force of Basharat’s blow on video, but the aftermath couldn’t be denied.
Doctor creates confusion
Despite the seemingly obvious extreme pain that Henry was in, it wasn’t necessarily clear what officials were going to do about it. It wasn’t even necessarily just a choice between a No Contest and a DQ win for Henry, but maybe even a chance for a TKO loss. At least that was the worry when the ringside doctor tried to tell Henry he didn’t get hit low.
“It wasn’t your balls,” the doctor told Henry. “He didn’t kick your balls.”
Josh Barnett gives update
Despite the doctor’s confusion, the fight was eventually declared a no contest, as it should have been. Henry was carried from the cage by his cornerman, former UFC champion Josh Barnett. Shortly afterward, the UFC broadcast crew gave an update that Henry was vomiting in the back and had been taken to the hospital. Barnett continued to provide updates from the road.
Remembering the UFC’s worst groin shot
Is it the worst low blow reaction we’ve ever seen inside the Octagon? It’s definitely way up there, but maybe not quite on par with former Brock Lesnar training partner Chris Tuchscherer’s horrible groin shot suffered against Gabriel Gonzaga back in 2009.
“I kind of remember getting kicked, and then basically I was out,” Tuchscherer told MMA Junkie in a 2017 interview. “I just sort of blacked out and came to on the mat. I think I actually grabbed the ref or the doctor’s leg, thinking I was fighting. After that is when I started to get sick.”
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