MMA fighter suffers gruesome leg break (GRAPHIC VIDEO)
Jake Becker, considered by many to be among the best mixed martial arts prospects coming out of Australia, will be on the sidelines for an extended period after he suffered a serious injury into a fight in Perth last weekend.
The Eternal MMA lightweight champion was defending his crown against Aidan Aguilera in the headline bout of the Eternal MMA 66 on Sunday when he threw an early low kick which was checked by Aguilera.
However, in scenes eerily reminiscent of the exchange which saw UFC icon Anderson Silva break his leg against Chris Weidman back in late 2013, Becker's leg viciously snapped, leaving Becker in agony on the canvas.
The 10-3 Becker surrendered his 155lbs title due to the injury and will now face an arduous path back to full fitness due to the horrific injury.
He later joked on Instagram alongside a particularly graphic photograph of the incident that it was an “early stoppage” by the referee.
The leg break is the latest in what is an ever-increasing list of similar injuries to take place in mixed martial arts.
Silva's injury against Weidman nearly a decade ago was perhaps the most infamous, and among the first serious injuries to take place in a high profile UFC fight.
Ironically, Chris Weidman would also encounter an identical injury years later when he broke his leg very early into a fight with Uriah Hall in April of last year.
This was followed by one of the biggest stars in mixed martial arts history Conor McGregor also breaking his legs in the final stages of the first round of his trilogy fight with rival Dustin Poirier last July.
The Irishman remains on course to return to the Octagon later this year. He was cleared to return to sparring in April and recently told the media that he is awaiting medical clearance in the coming days before he can once again begin to throw kicks and grapple.
Weidman remains out of competition, some 13 months after his injury - roughly the same period that Anderson Silva was out of action before he returned in January 2015 for a fight with Nick Diaz.
