UFC’s Duraev was forced to end fight early due to a horrific eye injury

Benny A. King

Duraev told the UFC’s Dan Hardy that he believes he took multiple knees from Buckley to the eye throughout their fight.

After being examined backstage, it was decided that Duraev could not continue to fight and the bout was stopped via TKO. Duraev, 33, sustained severe bruising to his left eye, which has caused it to swell shut.

 

This is not the first time Duraev has suffered such an injury, as he sustained similar bruising last year.

However, he was still able to beat Roman Kopylov, 31, at UFC 267 despite fighting with a closed eye. Buckley, 28, was disappointed that the fight ended early, but ultimately acknowledged that it was for the best.

Buckley spoke at the post-fight press conference about his disappointment at not being able to score a knockout victory.

He noted that while he is glad the doctor stopped the fight for Duraev’s health, he wished there had been more pressure so he could have scored the knockout.

Buckley is now on a three-fight winning streak and continues to build towards a UFC title shot. His win over Duraev was among his most dominant performances but is just what the American expected.

Buckley continued, “I was aware that this match would be very similar to other fights. I was aware of my opponent’s strengths and weaknesses. I made sure during training to focus on getting back up if taken down.

We practiced different scenarios on the ground and were patient. I worked on using my hips to get back to the cage and standing up again. Just throwing my hands up.”