Bare Knuckle Boxer Suffers Horrifying, Face-Distorting Hematoma During Fight

Stacey Ritzen
·2 min read
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A new BYB Extreme Bare Knuckle Fighting lightweight champion was named at the BYB 22: Rocky Mountain Brawl in Denver, CO over the weekend, when Mark "the Shark" Irwin faced off against Julio Tanori-Rodriguez. But while Tanori-Rodriguez took home the title to become the youngest active champion in bare knuckle boxing history, Irwin walked away with a much more gristly prize.

At one point in the match, Irwin suffered an enormous, horrifying hematoma, which is what occurs when an injury causes blood to collect and pool under the skin, giving it a spongy, rubbery, lumpy feel. And although the fighter was sporting a leopard-print dye job on his bleached hair and covered in tattoos, it's difficult to unsee the hematoma that seemingly sprouted from the side of his head.

"[The] 'Shark' Grows Second Head At BYB 22," the MMA Mania X account posted, along with a jaw-dropping photo of Irwin's swollen head.

The account also posted a short clip of the action in what was said to be Irwin's "fight of the year," which, despite the noticeable injury, he lost in a close decision. As the two boxers went at each other, you can already see Irwin's head starting to swell.

But thankfully, unless the swelling blocks an artery and cuts off blood flow to part of the body—which can result in permanent tissue damage—hematoma are generally not a cause for concern, and it should go away on its own within a few weeks. Though, with the size of Irwin's, the recovery may understandably take longer.

Saturday night's event also featured the BYB Super Middleweight strap, which saw Lorawnt-T "Smash" Nelson win his first bare knuckle title against the previously undefeated Robert Serna. Likewise, Paty Juarez was victorious over over Monica Medina in the BYB Women’s Lightweight championship.