Japanese MMA fighter Yusaku Nakamura was left needed some major dental work after he lost several teeth thanks to a brutal elbow from his opponent at RIZIN 16 in Japan.
Thanongsaklek Chuwattana – known as ‘Topnoi’ – did the dental damage to Nakamura when he landed with a left elbow in their flyweight bout at World Memorial Hall in Kobe, Japan.
Nakamura immediately stepped back and put his hand to his mouth, before at least one tooth appeared to drop to the floor.
Thai fighter Topnoi pointed to the newly-dislodged pearly whites with incredulity, and a grin from Nakamura later revealed he was missing several teeth from the top row of his mouth.
WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGE
Social media users also took to Twitter to share the aftermath of the damage to Nakamura’s mouth as well as Topnoi’s elbow.
Nakamura, 32, recovered to win the bout via unanimous decision, improving his record to 16-6-1.
The event in Kobe was being headlined by Japanese kickboxing sensation Tenshin Nasukawa – who famously lost so comprehensively in a boxing exhibition match to Floyd Mayweather on New Year’s Eve.
Nasukawa was facing Argentina’s Martin Blanco for the ISKA featherweight title, and claimed a second-round stoppage win.