Kickboxer Danil Sharov suffered a horrific skull fracture in his latest venture to the ring — but he stunningly tried to carry on fighting.
The Russian made his pro debut on the WAKO’s FKR PRO 1 undercard this past weekend in a lightweight clash with his namesake — Danil Kirikov.
But he sustained an injury seldom received by pros courtesy of a nasty knee, The Sun reports.
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A devastating knee in the clinch connected flush on the forehead of Sharov with just over 30 seconds of the second round remaining.
Sharov wasn’t initially aware of the damage he sustained, although the same couldn’t be said for Kirikov.
Kirikov immediately pointed out the injury to the referee, which prompted a worried glance from Sharov.
Sharov, however, paid no attention and continued fighting — firing a hard low kick at his opponent.
But the referee intervened after seeing the huge dent in Sharov’s forehead and called the ringside doctor to inspect the damage.
The doctor didn’t like what he saw and immediately waved off the contest after putting his thumb into the indentation.
Sharov looked stunned by the decision, although it saved him from taking potentially serious brain damage.
Fight fans were left aghast by the injury, with one saying: “(The) toughness of this kid is insane. Acted like he got a cut or something.”
Another said: “How in the f**k?”
And another said: “Jesus what a great referee.
“That was hard to notice and that kid is too damn tough for his own good. Would have ended up very bad if it continued.”
One remarked: “Good on the opponent to spot that and not engage.”
Skull fractures are a rarity in combat sports, despite their bruising nature.
The most memorable one in mixed martial arts history was the one inflicted on Cyborg Santos by Michael ‘Venom’ Page at Bellator 158.
MVP caved Santos’ skull in with a picture-perfect flying knee that forced the Brazilian to retire from the sport.
This article originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced with permission
