Bellator 286 preliminary card started with a bang. In the very first match the tone was set for the rest of the evening with gore. It included a terrifying fracture, the premature conclusion of a competitive match, and a devastating first-career defeat.
Richard Palencia and C.J. Hamilton’s bantamweight clash was off to a good start. Hamilton controlled the tempo and placed his blows well. But Palencia wasn’t far behind and competed fiercely in the first round.
Palencia, jumped into the second round with extra vigor in an effort to establish his dominance. However, it was just momentary. He promptly kicked Hamilton who aptly checked the kick.
Palencia then landed awkwardly on his left foot, twisting it. He fell to the ground in apparent discomfort. Hamilton signaled the referee to focus on him.
An unfortunate ending to the opening fight of the night 👇
Tune in to the #Bellator286 prelims, brought to you by @MonsterEnergy and fueled by @Mirabito.
🔗 https://t.co/zMdsHRAwvX pic.twitter.com/3YN6B6N5MP
— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) October 1, 2022
In an unusual way, the stoppage gave Hamilton the victory and put an end to his losing streak. On the other hand, Palencia lost for the first time in his professional career in his Bellator debut.
Mixed martial arts fans are used to witnessing the combatants’ horrific and gruesome wounds. These limb fractures did elicit a lot of fan responses.
Some of them are:
“Man, that is horrible”
“That’s gotta hurt.”
“Horrible to see, speedy recovery”
Bellator’s decision to upload the footage and the television advertising that went along with the injury was criticized by many fans.
“Thanks for the video? lol”
“Why y’all gotta repost this in slow mo [facepalm emoji]”
“the situation is horrible, plus this ad placement makes it dystopian af”
Some spectators brought out the troubling rise in leg injuries in combat sports.
“The MMA Gods require a horrific leg injury every few months”
“Another broken leg, because ppl use the calf kick a lot more than ever and guys are getting stronger, your going to see a lot more of those injuries….”