MMA fighter's 'horrendous' injury leaves viewers squeamish
WARNING: The following story contains graphic images some viewers may find disturbing
Viewers were forced to turn away in horror after an MMA fighter’s sickening leg injury rocked the sport.
Sofiane Boukichou was fighting Tom Aspinall at Cage Warriors 101 in Liverpool when the horrific incident occurred.
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The French fighter attempted to kick his opponent early in the first round but his attack went horribly wrong.
Boukichou’s forceful blow caught the shin of Aspinall, causing him to collapse to the floor in agony.
He fell to the canvas clutching his leg as it became instantly apparent that the French fighter had suffered an excruciating leg break.
Horrified viewers described the scenes and the blood-curdling sound of Boukichou’s leg snapping as it struck his opponent, with gruesome images showing the extent of the injury.
Stretcher going into the cage now to take Sofiane Boukichou out as the broadcast ends. #CW101
— Seán Sheehan (@SeanSheehanBA) February 16, 2019
Sofiane Boukichou broke his leg from a checked kick. Horrendous snapping sound and immediately went down. Nothing worse in MMA. #CW101
— Seán Sheehan (@SeanSheehanBA) February 16, 2019
Ouch!!! That was absolutely horrible to watch. Speedy recovery for Sofiane Boukichou. #CW101
— Gary Dolan (@DolanMma) February 16, 2019
Saw the main event finish at #CW101 – horrible, freak injury. Wish Sofiane Boukichou all the best
— Elis Sandford (@Elis_Sandford) February 16, 2019
Knowing his rival was in a severely bad state, Aspinall backed off straight away as the referee rushed in to stop the fight.
A picture of Boukichou later emerged from his hospital bed, with the stricken fighter in seemingly good spirits.
He’s set to have an operation on the leg before heading home to start on the lengthy road to recovery.
He’s all smiles & in good spirits , a little op tomorrow & @boukichou_sofiane will head home, he’ll be back dancing soon. #warrior #mma @cagewarriors pic.twitter.com/z3EIzUmtbu
— Graham Boylan 🇮🇪 ☘️ (@GrahamBoylan) February 17, 2019
Aspinall improved his record to 6-2-0 after the dramatic bout.