One of the most gruesome injuries in UFC history took place on this day in 2021, and it left Joe Rogan shocked.
On June 12, four years ago, the UFC 263 pay-per-view took place at the Gila River Arena in Arizona. The card featured two championship fights and plenty of notable names.
Before Israel Adesanya defended his title against Marvin Vettori in the main event and Brandon Moreno shockingly submitted Deiveson Figueiredo, the likes of Leon Edwards, Nate Diaz, Belal Muhammad, and Jamahal Hill all took to the cage.
And one of those names exited it much worse for wear courtesy of some elite grappling that left Rogan stunned.
Jamahal Hill’s dislocated elbow went unseen by the referee during brutal Paul Craig armbar at UFC 263
Opening up the UFC 263 main card was a light heavyweight battle between veteran Paul Craig and then-future champion Jamahal Hill.
The unbeaten ‘Sweet Dreams’ was widely expected to add another highlight to his reel on the night, but his Scottish opponent upset those plans in a big and gruesome way.
Inside the first minute, ‘Bearjew’ engaged in a clinch and pulled guard. Hill made the ill-advised decision to grapple with the Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist, resulting in him getting locked into an armbar.
A visible snap during the submission attempt left many expecting the fight to end, but referee Al Guinee remained oblivious to the obvious injury. That was even the case as Hill’s compromised limb flapped around while Craig ditched the submission and landed punches at will for a TKO stoppage.
During the post-fight interview inside the Octagon, Joe Rogan expressed his shock that the referee didn’t stop the fight earlier.
“We were stunned that it wasn’t stopped,” Rogan said. “When you were hitting him with the hammerfists, you could see it flopping around like a rubber arm.”
It was later revealed that Hill had avoided a break and instead dislocated his elbow.
Paul Craig needs a similar performance in UFC Atlanta return
Both Craig and Hill will return to action this month, with the former getting the first shot to impress.
After an unsuccessful stint at 185 pounds, Craig is back in the light heavyweight division, looking to cash in on his status as the only man to defeat current champion Magomed Ankalaev in MMA.
With just one win in his last six, the pressure is on the Scottish fighter heading into UFC Atlanta, where he’ll close out the preliminary card against Rodolfo Bellato.
Craig’s Brazilian opponent enjoyed a successful UFC debut against Ihor Potieria before fighting to a draw against Jimmy Crute last time out.
The upcoming UFC Fight Night takes place at State Farm Arena, with the headliner being a key welterweight clash between Kamaru Usman and Joaquin Buckley.
Hill, meanwhile, will make the walk a week later in Baku. He’s set to headline the UFC’s first visit to Azerbaijan against Khalil Rountree Jr.