‘I joked I wasn’t in pain. At that moment, he broke my leg’: Russian MMA star details injury as he fights on with fractured limb

If you need any more evidence that MMA fighters are built differently, consider the evidence of EFC star Uzair Abdurakov who SMILED in the cage after taking a thunderous kick which SHATTERED his leg in the cage.

Up-and-coming 25-year-old fighter Abdurakov put his undefeated record on the line in the featured bout of Tuesday's Eagle FC 35 event in Moscow against another rising star of the Russian MMA scene, Mehdi Dakaev, in the latest event put forward by the Eagle Fighting Championship promotion owned by former UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. 

And while the fight didn't exactly go the way that Abdurakov had planned, he has invited a wave of new followers online after showcasing the type of grit and determination (not to mention a poker face) for his reaction after breaking his left leg after receiving a thunderous kick from Dakaev during the fight. 

The clip shows Abdurakov - who was challenging for the EFC lightweight title - immediately reacting to the blow with a wince, before he switches to the southpaw stance to save his leg from further damage before he flashes a smile at the advancing Dakaev.

"At the beginning of the third round, he punched a low kick, I made a joke that I was not in pain. At that moment, he broke my leg," explained Abdurakov, who ultimately continued but lost the fight by decision.

He later confirmed that the injury was a 'fracture of the fibula with displacement' and said that he will require further surgery on it, after which he expects to be out of action for just six weeks. 

He also summed up his thoughts on Instagram, saying via translation: "Faced with difficulties, you cannot give up, run." 

"You have to assess the situation, look for a solution and believe that everything is going for the best. I'm ready to go all the way while my heart is beating.

"In this battle, I had to deviate from my plan and improvise on the go."

"No quit in Abdurakov who dealt with a badly compromised leg in the final few rounds," wrote one prominent MMA Twitter account of the action, as others rallied around to offer support to the fighter throughout his recovery - many of whom were no doubt impressed by his toughness. 

Dakaev, meanwhile, looked impressive in the fight and is speculated by some to be a major addition to the UFC one day soon - and another from the ever-expanding assembly line of fighters making waves in North American mixed martial arts from the sphere of influence of the sport's biggest star, Khabib Nurmagomedov.