10 Bloodiest Fights In UFC History

Some cuts bleed generously despite the physical damage appearing relatively minor. With their adrenaline pumping, fighters invariably bite down on their mouthguards and persevere through superficial wounds that can be cleaned up post-fight.

Then there are cuts caused by concussive, fight-ending blows that not only draw serious blood but also traumatise the brain.

The Icelandic grappling wizard Gunnar Nelson can end fights without throwing a strike in anger. Against Alex Oliveira, however, he landed an elbow so hard it almost decapitated the unsuspecting Brazilian and left him in a pool of his own plasma.

Patiently waiting for an opening from the mount position, Nelson snuck a sudden and brutally decisive blow through Oliveira’s defenses, bouncing his dome off the mat. Badly hurt and with blood gushing from a gaping hole in his head, ‘Cowboy’ appeared to panic and instinctively turned his back allowing Nelson, the ice-cold killer, to secure victory with an academic rear-naked choke. Medics rushed into the cage to treat the stricken Oliveira who later required 29 stitches to close the fissure in his forehead.