During the UFC Abu Dhabi prelims fight against Steven Nguyen, Mohammad Yahya endured six knockdowns, setting a new UFC record for most knockdowns in a single fight .
The repeated heavy blows caused Yahya’s left eye to balloon dramatically—completely closed, black‑and‑blue, and grossly swollen—prompting referee Jason Herzog to stop the fight before Round 3, resulting in a TKO loss for Yahya .
Fans described the injury as looking like “someone blew up a balloon under his eye”—a sentiment echoed across social media
🩺 Medical Status and Post-Fight Update
No facial fractures were detected via CT scan following the event; the scans reportedly came back clean .
Despite the gruesome appearance, there was no structural bone damage, but the soft tissue swelling was extreme .
UFC president Dana White publicly shared a photo of Yahya’s post-fight facial injuries, drawing major attention and concern across the MMA community .
Yahya’s eye injury was severe visually but did not involve any fractures.
He likely needs rest and medical supervision to ensure full recovery.
No current confirmation of permanent vision damage—but future updates may clarify any lasting effects.
