At UFC 301 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Jack Shore suffered a TKO loss due to a severe cut on his left leg caused by leg kicks from his opponent, Joanderson Brito. The referee called the doctor into the Octagon as Shore’s leg was bleeding profusely, and after examining the cut, the doctor deemed Shore unable to continue. Dr. Brian Sutterer criticized the doctor’s decision to put his finger in the wound during the examination. Despite some in the MMA community acknowledging the severity of the cut, there were those who believed the fight should not have been stopped, given the area of the body and the fact that Brito seemed to be winning the fight.
The decision to stop the fight at that point may have been a formality, as Brito was ahead on the scorecards and appeared to be on his way to a victory. Some pointed out that only one other fight had been stopped due to a leg cut, which was Melvin Manhoef’s at One FC 3, and that Shore may have been saved from taking unnecessary damage to his leg by the doctor and referee. It will be interesting to see if X-rays show a broken leg or if an MRI reveals any ligament or tissue damage. Brito’s win was his fifth in a row, bringing his professional record to 17-3-1, while Shore dropped to 17-2, losing two of his last three fights.
The main card of UFC 301 featured exciting matchups, including Anthony Smith’s submission victory over Vitor Petrino via guillotine choke in the first round. Michel Pereira also secured a first-round submission win over Ihor Potieria with a rear-naked choke. Caio Borralho scored a second-round knockout over Paul Craig. In the mid-prelims, Joanderson Brito defeated Jack Shore by TKO in the second round. The early prelims saw Mauricio Ruffy win via first-round TKO against Jamie Mullarkey, Dione Barbosa defeat Ernesta Kareckaite by unanimous decision, Ismael Bonfim secure a unanimous decision victory over Vinc Pichel, and Alessandro Costa win by second-round TKO against Kevin Borjas.
The reaction from the MMA community to the stoppage of the fight between Jack Shore and Joanderson Brito was mixed, with some believing the fight should not have been stopped due to the location of the cut on Shore’s leg. However, others felt that the doctor and referee made the right call to prevent Shore from sustaining further damage. Brito’s victory extended his winning streak, while Shore suffered his second loss in his last three fights. The results from UFC 301 showcased a variety of finishes, with impressive submissions and knockouts throughout the event. It will be interesting to see how Shore recovers from his injury and what his next steps will be in his MMA career.
