The UFC shared the latest regarding Toshiomi Kazama’s health after he was rushed to the hospital after UFC Vegas 109.
Bantamweight Elijah Smith, son of The Ultimate Fighter legend Gilbert Smith, earned one of the wildest knockouts of the year during the UFC Vegas 109 prelims.
Smith, a Dana White’s Contender Series alum, battled bantamweight Toshiomi Kazama during the UFC Vegas 109 prelims. It was billed a steep climb in competition for Smith after passing his first Octagon test with relative ease.
Smith put a wrap on his second UFC victory by slamming Kazama on his head while trapping his opponent in an inside triangle. Kazama immediately went unconscious and medical staff rushed the Octagon to treat the bantamweight talent.
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Positive update on Toshiomi Kazama after horrific slam KO at UFC Vegas 109
Smith’s knockout prompted plenty of rave reviews, but also highlighted the brutal nature of Mixed Martial Arts. Minutes after the fight, the UFC broadcast team told viewers that Kazama was rushed to a local hospital, leaving many fearing the worst possible outcome.
Smith’s slam was one of just several knockouts of its kind in UFC history. The most famous slam knockout in UFC history came via Jessica Andrade against Rose Namajunas to win the UFC women’s strawweight title.
At UFC Vegas 109, Backstage interviewer and reporter Karyn Bryant shared an encouraging update on Kazama’s health status following his knockout defeat.
Bryant reported that after Kazama was rushed to a local hospital, all CT scans came back negative and he’s expected to be discharged soon. It’s a positive update for Kazama after one of the scariest knockouts of the year at UFC Vegas 109.
Kazama is 1-3 in his UFC tenure, and was coming off his first UFC win over Charalampos Grigoriou by second-round submission in August 2024. He earned a shot in the promotion after an impressive win on Road to UFC in June 2022.
Meanwhile, Smith now rides a seven-fight winning streak into his next UFC appearance and moves one step closer to a potential spot in the bantamweight Top 15. But Smith’s KO wasn’t the only gruesome moment from UFC Vegas 109.
Dana White shared graphic images of Eryk Anders’ cut suffered at UFC Vegas 109
UFC middleweight Eryk Anders was on the losing end of a horrific spinning back elbow from Christian Leroy Duncan in their UFC Vegas 109 bout. Duncan won the fight by first-round TKO to continue his rise in the division, and Anders walked away with more than a loss.
UFC CEO Dana White took to social media to share a nasty cut Anders suffered from Duncan’s elbow in the cage. Anders was able to quickly get it stitched up and didn’t suffer additional injury due to the blow.
In other UFC Vegas 109 news, welterweight Uros Medic earned another brutal knockout over Gilbert Urbina on the prelims. Joselyne Edwards knocked out Priscila Cachoeira in a women’s bantamweight bout.