10 Most Horrifying MMA Injuries Of All Time
8. Arona Batters Sakuraba
One of Japanese MMA's most popular figures he may be, but the tragedy of the devotion inspired by Kazushi Sakuraba is that much of it was built on the ghastly brutalisations he endured against some of the most dangerous fighters in the sport. The man's spirit can't be denied, but he left many a fight a bloody, beaten wreck, but even in a career full of shellackings, Sakuraba's loss to Ricardo Arona stands out.
The duo fought at Pride Critical Countdown 2005. It was a mess. Saku was able to ground Arona at one point, but the bigger, more powerful Brazilian overwhelmed him. He bludgeoned Sakuraba with kicks and knees to the head, with his toenail opening a large cut over Kazushi's left eye. Ricardo seized on this, viciously digging his fingers into the gash to send an already grisly beating over the edge, but it didn't end there, as another flurry of knees and kicks soon followed.
Cloaked in his own plasma, 'The Gracie Hunter' looked like a horror movie victim. His swollen, bloodied mask is exactly the kind of image presented when detractors tear the sport down.