Four Fighters Hospitalized After UFC Abu Dhabi

Alexander BehuninSun, July 26, 2026 at 1:09 AM UTC·3 min read

Better to be safe than sorry …

Following UFC Abu Dhabi last night (Sat., July 25, 2026) inside Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, promotion officials confirmed to MMAmania.com that four fighters were transported to a local-area hospital for precautionary reasons after sustaining damage in their respective bouts.

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The fighters transported were Santiago Ponzinibbio, Ismael Bonfim, Tyrell Fortune and Octagon newcomer, Damian Rzepecki.

Ponzinibbio (30-10) was taken to the hospital for a precautionary CT scan of his head and face after suffering a nasty knockout loss to Welterweight prospect, Sam Patterson (watch highlights).

The 39-year-old Argentine fighter is now riding a two-fight losing streak, sits at 3-7 across his last 10 fights and has been finished in six of those defeats.

While “Argentine Dagger” did not indicate he would be retiring, he turns 40 in two months, and the damage is starting to pile up in a very uncomfortable way.

Bonfim (20-7) was also transported for a precautionary CT scan of his head and face following his suffocating submission loss to Axel Sola (watch highlights).

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The older of the Bonfim brothers entered UFC in style, flatlining Terrance McKinney; however, things have gone very poorly since then. Bonfim is now 2-4 inside the Octagon and has lost three straight fights, getting stopped in all three defeats.

Fortune (18-4) was sent to the hospital for precautionary CT scans of his head, face and pelvis following his third round stoppage loss to Rizvan Kuniev on UFC Abu Dhabi’s main card.

At least he will leave Abu Dhabi with some extra cash.

Fortune and Kuniev earned “Fight of the Night” honors, meaning the 36-year-old Heavyweight will receive a $100,000 bonus for his efforts.

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Still, it was a rough night for Fortune, who suffered his first UFC loss and had his four-fight win streak snapped. Prior to UFC Abu Dhabi, he defeated Marcin Tybura to jump into UFC’s Heavyweight rankings.

Rzepecki (10-1) was also transported for a precautionary CT scan of his head and face following his unanimous decision loss to Magomed Zaynukov.

“The Butcher” was making his UFC debut, and the loss was the first of his professional career. The 10-fight veteran entered the promotion with a 90 percent finish rate, including five submissions and four knockouts.

At this time, the results of the fighters’ scans have not been disclosed.

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It is normal for UFC to transport fighters to the hospital for precautionary reasons, especially if the fighters are involved in three-round battles that are full of damage or after suffering nasty knockouts.

Stick with MMAmania.com for the fighters’ health-related updates.

For complete UFC Abu Dhabi results, coverage and highlights click HERE.