UFC: South Korea’s ‘Fire Fist’ Kim Ji-yeon unknowingly entered Alexa Grasso fight with facial fracture

‘The fight will haunt me in my dreams,’ says flyweight Kim, who reveals a post-fight CAT scan found pre-existing damage she had no idea about

‘Something was wrong from the middle of the first round. But, in the second, one punch landed clean and I was seeing double’

Reading Time:2 minutes

South Korean UFC fighter Kim Ji-yeon poses in hospital. Photo: Handout

Published: 11:31am, 23 Dec 2020Updated: 11:42am, 23 Dec 2020

UFC flyweight Kim Ji-yeon unknowingly entered her last bout with a facial fracture.

The South Korean slugger (9-3-2) returned from elbow surgery at UFC Vegas 8 in August and dropped a unanimous decision to Mexican starlet Alexa Grasso – but she was oblivious to the fact her cheek bone was compromised.

The left side of her face was already showing signs of damage after the opening round. Shrugging it off, the 31-year-old “Fire Fist” bit down on her mouthpiece and continued to engage in furious boxing exchanges.

“Something was wrong from the middle of the first round,” Kim told SCMP MMA. “But, in the second, one punch landed clean and I was seeing double from that point on. The injured eye was foggy so when I would swing, my distance would be way off.

“Throughout my career in MMA, kick-boxing, boxing, this has never happened. Since that was the first time I had ever injured my orbital, I was somewhat in a panic and flustered.