Photo by Bellator MMA
American fighter Chance Rencountre suffered five broken ribs and a punctured rib from one body kick during a 38-second Bellator MMA match Saturday at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.
It shows once again how painful, brutal, and unforgiving life can be for a professional athlete competing in combat sports like mixed martial arts.
That a months-long training camp, a fight strategy, and a seemingly unwavering determination to excel when one makes their way to the cage, can be undone in less than a minute because of an expertly-placed strike to the midsection.
Andrey Koreshkov wrecked Rencountre's world that night at Bellator 274.
The fight-ending shot can be seen on replays, and that audible crack you hear when Koreshkov's strike lands is clearly Rencountre's body breaking done — the thumping of flesh and the snapping of bones.
Rencountre's manager Brian Butler, of Sucker Punch Entertainment, gave an update on his client's injury this week.
On Instagram, he said Rencountre "suffered five broken ribs, a punctured lung from the heel kick."
"Not the outcome we wanted, but the kick was well placed and would have stopped anyone," Butler added. "Next time, we will get a full camp and come back stronger.
"Chance is in good spirits and prepping for surgery."
See X-ray imagery of the injury right here:
Rencountre also posted on Instagram to say, "shit happens."
"Feeling pretty chipper for a man with five broken ribs, a punctured lung half full of blood, and a bruised kidney.
"Not the way I'd envisioned my Bellator return playing out, but congratulations to Koreshkov and a big thank you to all the Bellator staff for all their hard work both pre and post-fight. I'm feeling very well taken care of."
On his recovery, he added: "Imma get me some metal wrapped around my ribs and come back like Wolverine with the adamantium skeleton."
The defeat saw Rencountre's pro MMA record fall to 16 wins (six knockouts, five submissions, and five decisions) against five losses.
It is unclear when he will be able to fight again.
Koreshkov, meanwhile, is gunning for a welterweight title shot six years after losing his championship to Douglas Lima when he was knocked out in the third round of a title fight at Bellator 164.
With the victory, he advanced his pro MMA record to 25 wins (13 knockouts, four submissions, and eight decisions) against four losses, and returns to the Bellator arena May 13 for a match against veteran fighter Paul Daley in London, England.
