A UFC Paris star nicknamed ‘Gladiator’ once delivered an elbow strike so brutal that it left his opponent’s ear pouring with blood.
The Octagon is back in the French capital this week with high stakes in the middleweight division, as Nassourdine Imavov battles Caio Borralho for a potential shot at Khamzat Chimaev’s championship.
Below what is expected to be a title eliminator at 185 pounds in the main event, a number of prominent names, exciting prospects, and highly touted newcomers will take to the UFC Octagon at Paris’ Accor Arena.
Among them is a welterweight phenom who has not tasted defeat in 22 fights. That undefeated run has spanned 12 years, and one victim during it was left with one of the most gruesome and bloody injuries seen inside the cage.
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UFC Paris star Rinat Fakhretdinov mangled Andreas Michailidis’ ear in 2022
Before the likes of Patricio Pitbull, Benoit Saint-Denis, and UFC debutant Losene Keita make the walk on Saturday’s main card, the prelims will feature the return of Rinat Fakhretdinov as he squares off against Andreas Gustafsson.
The 23-1-1 pro has impressed since arriving in 2022. His most devastating win came over an ex-interim title challenger, with Fakhretdinov brutally choking out Kevin Lee early into his third fight in the promotion.
That result marked the Russian’s first UFC finish, but even when needing the scorecards, ‘Gladiator’ made his mark, including physically when he practically embedded his elbow into the ear of Andreas Michailidis.
In his UFC debut, Fakhretdinov incredibly managed to rack up 13 minutes of control time during the 15-minute fight. He put that dominance to good use, particularly with one elbow to the side of the head that exploded his Greek opponent’s ear.
Blood poured profusely from Michailidis’ ear, making Fakhretdinov’s debut triumph look like something out of a horror movie.
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How fans reacted to Andreas Michailidis’ gruesome ear injury against Rinat Fakhretdinov
Fans were shocked to see the gruesome scene inside the cage, with many reacting in horror as blood erupted from Michailidis’ ear.
“Geez Andreas Michailidis’ ear is BUSTED up.”
“Andreas might want to get his leaky ear checked out.”
“That ear looks like he got mangled in a machine. Nastay!”
“OMG Michailidis’ ear is destroyed. Tough SOB. But he’s done.”
“That ear erupted!”
“Michailidis could very well be fighting for his job. Damn his ear is busted up badly.”
That fight marked the Athens native’s final outing in the UFC. He quickly found success away from the MMA leader, winning three straight under the Oktagon banner in Europe.
But Michailidis has since returned to a losing skid, with his submission defeat to Dricus du Plessis’ teammate Mark Hulme this past February marking his third straight setback.