The MMA community is shocked by Grigoriy Ponomarev’s gruesome leg injury at ACA 161.
On Friday, August 8, Absolute Championship Akhmat held a sixteen-fight event in Moscow, Russia. In the ACA 161 co-main event, Ponomarev looked to extend his two-fight winning streak against fellow heavyweight Mukhamad Vakhaev. Unfortunately for ‘Glizzy,’ things went horribly wrong in the five-round bout.
Ponomarev had his opponent against the cage after twenty seconds in the first round. ‘Grizzly’ attempted to throw Vakhaev, but the latter recovered and returned to his feet. Ponomarev closed the distance quickly and disaster struck.
Vakhaev avoided Ponomarev by pushing him away. ‘Grizzly’ took an awkward step backward, and his leg folded in one of the most horrific MMA injuries caught on camera. Vakhaev followed up with ground and pound until the referee pulled him off. Meanwhile, Ponomarev was visibly screaming in pain.
Ponomarev must overcome an intense recovery process to return from the injury he suffered. The 28-year-old heavyweight holds a 6-3 record, with all his wins being first-round finishes.
On the contrary, Valkhaev is riding high after bouncing back from a loss in his last fight. The 33-year-old holds a 12-6-1 record with eleven wins inside the distance.
WARNING: The following video features a graphic leg injury:
Fans react to shocking leg injury at ACA 116
Several injuries in MMA history will never be forgotten, especially Anderson Silva’s gruesome leg injury against Chris Weidman in 2013. Grigoriy Ponomarev and ACA aren’t as popular as Silva and the UFC, but some fans will remember the video of his injury for a long time.
A popular Twitter account called “Grabaka_Hitman” shared the video of Ponomarev’s leg injury with the caption saying:
“I’m warning you now. This is a horrible, potential career ending injury. Grigoriy Ponomarev destroys his leg/knee/everything at ACA 161. Wait for the replay”
The comment section was filled with shocked and disturbed fans, including the following:
“This is worse than the Silva one however I cringed more at the Silva one. Idk why”
“Oh God. It never gets easier to see flapping limbs.”
Oh God. It never gets easier to see flapping limbs.
— Loretta Hunt 📚 (@byLorettaHunt) August 11, 2023
“That’s brutal, I can’t imagine the pain he’s in!”
That’s brutal, I can’t imagine the pain he’s in!
— J J (@JJWorM87) August 11, 2023
“I’m not as disgusted as I’m supposed to be and that makes me just a little sad, but I feel much worse for Ponomarev.”
I'm not as disgusted as I'm supposed to be and that makes me just a little sad, but I feel much worse for Ponomarev.
— Scott Fontana (@Scott_Fontana) August 11, 2023
“I saw plenty, I don’t need to watch the replay”
I saw plenty, I don't need to watch the replay 😅
— TruffleJack (@TruffleJack) August 11, 2023
The fight business can be relentlessly brutal at times. Although things aren’t looking good for Ponomarev, he’s only 28 years old, giving him a chance to bounce back from his horrific injury. Only time will tell if ‘Grizzly’ ever fights again.
