Referee Jason Herzog had to call off the UFC preliminary undercard featherweight fight between Mohammad Yahya (12-6-0) and Steven Nguyen (10-2-0) after Yahya’s eye was disfigured following a series of takedowns as the UFC returned to Abu Dhabi.

By the end of the second round, Nguyen set a UFC record with six knockdowns. He was awarded a technical knockout (TKO) victory by doctor’s stoppage.

Medics tended to a bizarre-looking wound under Yahya’s left eye (yet another line of serious injuries in a sport known for its brutality). His lower lid appeared to enlarge and severely flare up, creating a sort of planet-like lesion on the left side of his face.

“I’ve been working so hard for this moment. It’s finally here,” Nguyen said after his win. “The fight’s not over until it’s over. I came into UFC 0-1, and I came back, and I wanted that finish. Here we are now.”

Many took to social media to weigh on on the bout. “[Referee] Herzog wants to see a dead body up close and I respect it,” wrote former UFC fighter Zac Pauga.

“Congrats Nguyen you earned that and set a record for knockdown,” wrote current star Terrance McKinney, who boasts the Fastest finish in UFC Lightweight division history.

The fight was on the undercard for Reinier de Ridder’s middleweight win over Robert Whittaker via split decision (47–48, 48–47, 48–47) in an event officially billed as UFC on ABC: Whittaker vs. de Ridder.

“I expected to take [Whittaker] down and choke him out, but he was amazing, man. So tough, so durable, heavy f***ing hands,” de Ridder said.

Whittaker was gracious in defeat. “Pretty butt hurt, to be honest, [but] you know what? He did what he said he was going to do,” he said.

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“I thought I ticked all the boxes, but the pressure was a lot. It was just a lot of pressure, he has a lot of skill sets — and I mentioned it before, he’s got a particular way of fighting. I couldn’t really throw too many spanners in the works. He got it off more times than not and he walked away the winner, good on him.”

This followed Petr Yan’s batnatmwieght win over Marcus McGhee via unanimous decision (29–28, 29–28, 29–28)