One of a trio of newcomers on Saturday’s UFC Vegas 77 card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas was Viktoriia Dudakova. The Russian strawweight was booked opposite Istela Nunes as part of the night’s preliminary card.
Contender Series alum Dudakova was 6-0 to start her career, while Nunes was 0-3 in the promotion and firmly in must-win territory.
Things did not go according to plan for Nunes, a ONE Championship event, with the situation going south soon after the opening bell.
The fight started and neither girl shied away from letting their hands go. Dudakova shot in for a low single, turned the corner on it as Nunes was going down; she landed on her arm only for it to bend back in gruesome fashion as she posted on it. The fight was over quickly due to the injury to Nunes, who at the least dislocated and quite possibly broke the limb.
Warning: this one's a tough watch. Istela Nunes' arm breaks as she goes to plant it off a takedown secured by Viktoriya Dudakova at #UFCVegas77 pic.twitter.com/U9qSBVTo1I
— Shakiel Mahjouri (@Shak_Fu) July 16, 2023
Dudakova, who waited some time to make her promotional debut, comes away with the win. Speaking to Daniel Cormier following the fight, the undefeated strawweight admitted that she had hoped the fight would go longer. “Who would of thought I can break arms without even wanting to do so?” she quipped.
Official Result: Viktoriia Dudakova def. Maria Istela Nunes, round 1, TKO (arm injury), 0:34
