Warning: The following content contains graphic descriptions of an injury that some viewers may find disturbing.
Cage Warriors MMA presented an event in London, England, featuring a featherweight championship bout between Harry Hardwick and Javier Garcia as the main event.
While the main event concluded due to a technical decision following an accidental head clash, the most talked-about moment of the night occurred earlier. A lightweight fight ended due to what is being called one of the most sickening eye injuries ever witnessed in MMA.
Doctor Halts Fight Due to Horrific Injury at Cage Warriors 186
Cage Warriors 186 saw a high number of stoppages, with eight out of fourteen fights ending prematurely. However, the most disturbing stoppage occurred in the lightweight match between Tariq Pell from England and Ermil Xhaferi representing Albania.
Near the end of the first round, Pell landed a powerful blow that stunned Xhaferi. Xhaferi then made the unfortunate decision to blow his nose, suspecting it was broken. Almost instantly, his right eye socket began to swell dramatically.
Commentators described the scene vividly, stating, “You can literally see – as he blows his nose – you can literally see the eye swell up like a balloon,” as live footage captured the rapid worsening of the injury.
The ringside doctor was promptly called to assess the injury. The examination was brief; upon seeing the eye, the doctor immediately stopped the fight.
In a post-fight interview, Pell insisted that the win be declared a knockout rather than a doctor`s stoppage, arguing, “He couldn’t continue, so it’s a knockout… If you’re on the battlefield and that happened, I’d come and cut his head off because he wasn’t ready to carry on… Job done.”
MMA Community Reacts to Ermil Xhaferi’s Gruesome Eye Injury
Clips of Xhaferi`s fight-ending eye injury quickly went viral on social media, with widespread reactions of shock and disgust from the MMA community. Many fans expressed their horror at the sight of the injury.
One fan humorously commented on social media, “Bro is channeling his inner Harvey Dent,” while another likened Xhaferi’s transformation to “a Claymation fighter from Celebrity Deathmatch.”
Another viewer exclaimed, “Oh. My. God. I don’t think I’ve ever seen an eye that bad.”
“Bro blew up like he was allergic to being punched in the face,” another joked. One fan also commended the referee, noting, “Shout Marc Goddard for trying to let him know not to do that,” possibly referring to attempts to advise Xhaferi against blowing his nose.
With this victory, Tariq Pell`s professional record improves to 5-1, while Ermil Xhaferi`s record falls to 5-2-1.
