Most fighters deal with injuries in camp, during fights, and after. But few have a tooth fall out immediately before a bout — and compete anyway. Kailan Hill did, however, at LFA 45 on Friday.
Plenty of fighters have lost a tooth in the cage. The great Randy Couture was kicked into retirement by Lyoto Machida at UFC 129 in Toronto back in 2011, and came to afterwards down a chiclet. It’s one of those hazards of the trade that fighters deal with. In fact, it’s something of a miracle that more fighters don’t have “hockey smiles.” Yet Kailan Hill had a bit of a twist at LFA 45 on Friday:
He lost a tooth prior to his fight with Alex Thompson.
“I was just chewing on my mouthpiece, my tooth fell out. It’s unfortunate, but I’ll get it fixed,” Hill told Cageside Press correspondent Gabriel Gonzalez after the fight Friday night. “This has never happened.”
“Never lost them sparring, with paper towel in my mouth. Never lost a tooth before,” the middleweight added.
Maybe the missing tooth served as motivation. Hill finished opponent Alex Thompson with a head kick just over a minute into the first round at the event, held at the Morongo Casino, Resort & Spa in Cabazon, California.
“I seen it all in his face. Alex is a great guy, I’m grateful that he showed up, and we put on a good fight,” Hill said post-fight.
As for what’s next, he’s hungry to move up. “I’m coming for the LFA belt, so whoever has it at 185, just be on your came. ‘Cause I’m coming, and I’m not stopping.”
