Ryan Hall Makes Statement After Knockout Loss: ‘Broke my hand on the first punch’
On Saturday at UFC 264, jiu-jitsu specialist Ryan Hall suffered the first loss of his UFC career when he was knocked out by undefeated prospect Ilia Topuria in just under five minutes. Following the disappointing loss, Hall posted a statement on Instagram revealing that he broke his hand during the fight.
“Broke my hand on the first punch landed, but cant wait to heal up, adjust, and be back again soon,” Hall wrote.
Hall found some success throughout the opening minutes of the fight, landing occasional kicks and a handful of punches (including the one that broke his hand), mixed in with near-constant attempts to bring the fight to the mat. With the first round winding down, Hall once again attempted to drag the fight to the mat, but made the mistake of leaving his head exposed to ground strikes. Topuria pounced on the opportunity, landing a barrage of blows that left Hall unconscious.
This was Ryan Hall’s first professional loss since his MMA debut in 2006. Hall won season 24 of The Ultimate Fighter, despite losing a decision to Saul Rogers on the show (bouts on The Ultimate Fighter are treated as exhibition fights). His record in MMA is now 8-2.
